March 28, 2024

Matilda’s best for 2019

For 2019, the trustees of Matilda J. Gibson Library have assigned yours truly the task of identifying and planning more programming for our library. Our aim is to add programs on the arts, sciences and the humanities, for all ages. That’s a big job, and I need your help!

What new programs would you like to see at the library? Any Iowa authors you’d like to come for a visit? Any hobbies or pastimes you’d like us to cover? Jennie Hargrove of ISU Extension will lead an Instant Pot boot camp in March. We have author Linda McCann scheduled for April to discuss her new book on World War II POWs in Iowa. We have our marching orders, and we’re off to a good start this month.

Yes, in January ... want to learn how to crochet in a friendly environment? Our Crochet Club meets 11 a.m. every Monday. At 4 p.m. Thursdays the 10th and 24th, we’re hosting K-12 Lego-mania, an hour of Lego playtime. We provide the Legos. Our Wonder robots, Dash and Dot, have Lego connectors, so the possibilities are endless.

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, I’ll host a program on the Creston, Winterset and Des Moines Railroad. Did you know that between the years 1909 and 1919, Creston had its own railroad line? The idea was to connect Creston with Des Moines, and in the early decades of the 20th century, civic boosters worked hard to make it a reality. The line didn’t last, but their efforts had the effect of putting Macksburg on the map. Do you know what else was happening in that era that slowed the growth of rail transportation?

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28, Nebraska author Nelsen Petersen will give a talk on his travelogue, “Selfies With Sacajawea: The Corps of Re-Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Trail.” In 2018, he retraced the steps of America’s greatest explorers, Lewis and Clark. Beginning in St. Louis under the Gateway Arch, Petersen and two companions began a 14-day journey that ended on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. It wasn’t long before they grasped the accomplishments of the Corps of Discovery from 1804-1806. We invite you to relive their journey through America’s rugged west along the Lewis and Clark Trail, with its cheap hotels, oppressive heat, inaccurate historical markers and the consequences of poor travel planning.

Good programming, along with providing quality print materials and digital media services that keep you connected, is at the core of Matilda’s mission in the Creston area. We have ideas about what you may value and enjoy, but we need your input and feedback to serve the community to the best of our ability. We are especially eager to cultivate partnerships with other community organizations. Please send me your wish list at david@creston.lib.ia.us, or just give me a call at 641-782-6507. We aim to please at the Gibson Memorial Library.