Gardiner

Being Mrs. Claus for a day!

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I was honored this year to be Mrs. Claus for the city of Gardiner in their Christmas Parade.  I was not sure what I was in for.  The fun began with co-workers and friends offering ideas for my costume.  Being a thrifty person, I looked for things that I had on hand to wear.  Thank goodness, I knew someone who works with theater students and had a perfect wig, apron and white gloves.  Oh, the endless blessing of friends. Well I had my costume set until the day came and I started to try things on. I came out of …

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Family History – now’s the time!

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Thanksgiving Day is also National Family History Day.  It’s a natural pairing: that time of year when we gather together for family, food, and fun also marks the perfect opportunity to gather family information. “Why didn’t I ask questions when I had the chance?” That’s the #1 rhetorical question we get here in the Archives.  Whether trying to fill gaps in a family tree or hoping to recall or confirm stories from long ago, folks are always wishing they had taken the time to ask questions and record information once upon a time. National Family History Day was actually declared …

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Historic Photo Mystery – Solved in the Archives!

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Of all the wonderful reference questions we field in the Community Archives Room, some of the most engaging involve identifying photographs and their subjects, relative to Gardiner history.  Often people bring in photos of family members or local buildings and want to know just where or when or why a photo may have been taken.  We have wonderful historic maps and directories, as well as many already-identified photos that help with picking out clues to solve the mystery.  And, inevitably, every “solve” brings out new and enlightening details of our richly historic town. Recently, a  mystery came our way electronically. …

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Ladies Literary Overnight

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Recently we had our second annual Ladies Literary Sleepover in the library – yes, we did it a second time! Eighteen women had fun in the library, after hours.  We talked, we ate, we laughed, we ate, we played games, we talked, we visited, we ate, we slept (a little) and we got up and did it all again! The ladies began arriving around 7:00, munchies and sleeping bags in hand.  We set up our buffet of yummies in the Young Adult Room, and YUMMIES they were!  We had blueberries, chips, fruit, salad, pizza, eggs, soda and chocolate (it’s not …

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