As we approach the 50th anniversary of the U.S. moon landing this July, supernovas, pulsars, rocket ships and moons already are swirling in the minds of Grand County’s youth with Grand County Library District’s “Universe of Stories” summer reading program.
Since the second week of June, the district’s five libraries have been hosting solar system beading classes, rocketry workshops, NASA Living in Space forums, family astronomy nights and digestible intros to some fun engineering.
This Big Bang of programming, made possible with funds raised by Friends of the Grand County Library volunteers, is put into action during the summer in hopes of fostering literacy, developing a love for libraries and our nation’s liberty of free-flowing information, as well as keeping grade-level reading skills from slipping into a proverbial black hole during summer months.
Library relevancy in the digital age is evermore great, as libraries continue to be welcoming spaces where community and curiosity are driving forces. It’s where a sharing of minds occurs via craft of the written word, where citizens can gather with common interests and where we celebrate reading — whether to acquire knowledge or simply to pass time. Libraries bring people together, physically through programming and events, or through the sharing of thoughts and knowledge.
With the recent observance of the Fourth of July, we remember that libraries are an expression of a free society where anyone has access to expanding wisdom and furthering understanding.
It’s for these core reasons the nonprofit The Friends of the Grand County Library, Inc. continues to do its sole work of raising funds to support our libraries.
Last year, the Friends group gave $30,000 to the library district, of which half supports children’s reading programs such as weekly story times and summertime reading, and half supports children’s and adults’ materials and circulation at the various libraries.
Outside of Friends used book sales and a smattering of smaller fundraising events, the Friends’ most significant fundraising event has come to be the annual “Tops of the Rockies” July wine-and-mingle at the Grand Lake Yacht Club, Grand Lake.
The event is punctuated with an exciting live auction of items and décor set atop individual round tables. Each table boasts a “theme” and a book accompanying said theme. Last year, a table honoring the whimsical side of architecture sparked a bidding war with a treehouse design-and-build as one of its offerings. Another table featured essential oil products, beautiful flowers and massage gift certificates. Yet another table last year included an all-expense paid trip to Africa.
This year’s event promises to be just as pleasing, with food by Stillwater Grill, plenty of wine, musical entertainment, and a live and silent auction — all for the essential goal of literacy and the importance of our libraries.