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New library preview wows donors
Photo by RICHARD MALCOLM/Herald
On Friday, major donors were treated to a sneak preview of the facility, complete with books on the shelves, artwork in place and self-checkout stands ready to be, well, checked out.
The reaction was an unmitigated "Wow!" on all fronts. From the tiny toilet just right for small children in their section, to the views from every window and the colors, comfy chairs and soothing sounds of the Animas River flowing in the background, guests "ooh-ed" and "aah-ed" their way around the 42,000-square-foot facility.
The evening began with music provided by Actual Proof and an array of appetizers in keeping with the Tuscan-feast theme by Kennebec Catering. Goodies included crostinis with artichoke tapenade, smoked trout and white-bean tapenade as well as goat-cheese galettes on puff pastry with sun-dried tomatoes.
Tours were actually on the agenda for after dinner, but nothing could keep folks from exploring the various nooks and crannies, including the Teen section, the quiet reading room and Melissa Zink's three bronzes called "The Guardians" ("Chamberlain of Letters," "Book Warden" and "Minister of Words"), anchoring the Grand Promenade on the second floor.
Then it was time for a delicious buffet that featured chicken Marbella, prepared with prunes and olives, and boeuf bourguignon.
The two program rooms were combined to seat the almost 170 enthusiastic guests. Tables sported centerpieces with evergreens, fall-colored flowers, books and fruit designed by Carol Salomon. Each guest received one of the calendars featuring children's artwork, full of dreams about the new facility.
Ed Angus, the chairman of the Library Advisory Board, Sherry Taber, the director of the library, and Florence "Foxie" Mason and Patti Zink, the co-chairwomen of the fundraising efforts for the library, took a short moment to thank the donors and many volunteers who helped pass the tax and bond issues that provided the funding for the $19 million facility.
Mason and Zink had a surprise in store for their thank you - the Mancos Valley Chorus and its director, Kriss Larsen, thanked the donors in song. It added a fun and whimsical touch to the evening.
(By the way, I have to apologize to Larsen for failing to acknowledge her efforts in my Saturday story about the Fort Lewis College Host Family program. She is the administrative assistant in the Student Affairs office and has been invaluable in getting the program up and running.)
Library supporters had been asked by City Council to raise $750,000 toward the cost of the building. Not only did they reach that goal, but funds raised now exceed $1 million. Since there are still a number of things needed for the new library, including expanding the collection, donations are still being solicited.
In the meantime, the community will soon have its own opportunity to see the library's new digs. Mark your calendar now for 4 p.m. Monday, when the ribbon will be cut and the doors will officially open. (Books may be checked out beginning on Tuesday.)
Organizers, led by Judith Reynolds and Steve Redding, have planned a week-long opening celebration including a visit by a staff member from the Library of Congress and fireworks on Dec. 5.
It has taken more than nine years for this library to come to fruition, but it was well worth the wait. Mason has called it "Durango's living room," and she has come up with the right shorthand for what this gathering place will be.
I'll see you at the library in five and a half days.
The friends and family of these birthday celebrants will be giving thanks this week that their loved ones were born - Kaylee Blevins, Izzi Lockhart, Nancy Loftis, Maria Creech, Kathie Hudson, Brooke Kniffin, Ryan Kyser, Barbara Elliott, Tabitha Heckman, Amy McClellan, Tierney Skahill, Mary Downey, Ruth Guarino, Amanda Preston, Ernie Shock, Diane Higgins, Wilma DeNier, Jessica Somsen, Caroline Tidwell, Elise Tidwell, Carl Johnson, Lilian Tucker, John Shafer, David Ottman, Catie Clarkson, Michelle Bliss, Pam Hahl, Nancy Shipps and Karen Siegrist.
We were lucky in La Plata County when it came to voting in the 2008 election. I think I stood in line for about half an hour on Halloween to pick up my mail-in ballot, while reports about people waiting three or four hours to vote in other parts of the United States were on the nightly news.
One young Durangoan went through a torturously circuitous route to cast his ballot with the help of Donna Elder and her caring colleagues in the office of the La Plata County Clerk and Recorder's Office.
Austin Richardson, who worked at the Herald while waiting to deploy to his Peace Corps assignment in Maintirano, Madagascar, requested his absentee ballot in January or February. (In 2004, he had been disappointed because his absentee ballot did not reach him in time in Washington, D.C., where he was studying. And that was just on the East Coast.)
By the beginning of October, the ballot had not arrived. After being away from Durango at the beginning of the month while he worked at a Madagascar national park teaching English and environmental interpretation to the guides, he came home sure that it would be there. But it was not. I'm sure the term "snail mail" is a literal description for service to the more isolated parts of the country in Madagascar, where two to four weeks for delivery is not uncommon. (Packages can take three months or more.)
Richardson was ready to give up, telling his dad, George Richardson, and stepmother, Ginger, that once again the system was not going to work for him. They, however, mentioned the problem to Elder, and she and her staff stepped up to help the committed citizen cast his vote.
So in two days, with emergency phone calls back and forth, a last minute appeal to the Colorado Secretary of State for permission for Richardson to vote via e-mail. He received permission then prayed that his Internet connection wouldn't time out during the 20 minutes our huge ballot took to send.
The next morning (his time), Richardson heard on a National Public Radio program, on a small satellite radio, that Ohio had just been called for Obama. About 15 minutes, later, the candidate was declared victorious. Richardson and another volunteer heard the acceptance speech from Grant Park on that same little satellite radio, a moving moment far from home.
If you've wondered how the results were perceived in other countries, Richardson said that people have constantly been congratulating him about his new president.
I'll have more about his experiences in Madagascar in a later column, but this story was too timely - and heartening - to hold.
Angie and Michele Gladson enjoyed a relaxing and beautiful cruise around Italy and the Mediterranean this fall.
Michele Gladson was stationed near Naples during her time in the Navy, from 1980 to 1982. She had fun showing her mom the island of Capri, town of Sorrento and Pompeii during that leg of the trip.
In Sicily, Angie Gladson was reminded of her father, Salvatore Tessitore, who was born 100 years ago in Prizzi.
Her maternal grandparents lived in Palermo, Sicily, and her son, Dino Gladson, was born one island away on Malta. I guess that would make this a true trip back to their roots. While on Sicily, the adventurous duo visited Mount Etna and enjoyed a tour of a winery, later dining on local cuisine, fresh bread and, of course, some of the fruit of the grape.
That night, the captain sailed the ship past Stromboli, an island that is an active volcano. The Gladsons lucked out and were able to see small eruptions, which was both exciting and a spectacular view.
Without a doubt, both women agreed that the most important part of the trip was the three days in Rome at the end of the trip.
In addition to visits to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Spanish Steps and Colosseum, the Gladsons saw Pope Benedict XVI blessing 253 bishops. The next day, they received a papal blessing in St. Peter's Square.
In addition to ports in Italy, their Mediterranean cruise also included stops in Barcelona, Spain, and Dubrovnik, Croatia.
The Gladsons made sure to toss coins in the Trevi Fountain, insuring a return visit to la bella Roma.
Grateful for another year of matrimonial bliss are Hal and Vivian Emrich, Charlie and Edie Buhl, Robert and Wilma DeNier, Bob and Linda Gramera, Dan and Mary Howell and Mark Franklin and Rose Chilcoat.
For information on upcoming events and fundraisers, check Local Briefs.
Here's how to reach me: neighbors@durangoherald.com'>neighbors@durangoherald.com; phone 375-4584; fax 259-5011; mail items to the Herald; or drop them off at the front desk. Please include contact names and phone numbers for all items. If you are submitting an item for preview, please send it with briefs in the subject line and e-mail it to herald@durangoherald.com'>herald@durangoherald.com.
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