Author: Beth Foulks

Cat in the Hat made his annual stop at Ponca Carnegie Library on Thursday, March 3rd.  Many young children and their parents giggled as he read Green Eggs and Ham and brought out Dr. Seuss’ birthday cake.  Face painting, photo booth, The Lorax, Seuss bookmarks, One Fish Two Fish Bowls and Green Eggs and Ham dinner plate activities led up to pizza, apple slices and birthday cake.  Thank you to Kohls workers and National Honor Society students who volunteered to make a successful event, planned by Melissa Ruhrer, and sponsored by The Friends of the Library.  Nate Ruhrer, Evan Watchorn, and Joey Lyle tended to Cat in the Hat, Thing One, and Thing Two.

The results are in!  The winning team for the 2016 Spellapalooza Event is Salem Saints and Sinners.  Second place was awarded to The Spelling B’s (Ponca High School’s National Honor Society TeamP.  Third place was awarded to The City Council  Spell Checkers.  The prize for the lowest combined age went to The GR8 Spelerz, and Best Team Name went to the Decay Destroyers.  It was a fun event and fundraiser for The Friends of Ponca Carnegie Library lighting project/children’s book project.

Friends of the Library hosted a retirement coffee for Margaret Saxon on Saturday, January 9th.  After serving as librarian for 12 years, Margaret is ready for some time for herself.  Though the day was COLD, it was warm and cozy with so many friends at the event.  Thank you, Margaret, for serving our community in the library.

Thank you, Kerrie Lentz, for decorating our Christmas Tree.  It is beautiful.

Local author, Teri Lukken,  signed copies of her two new children’s books at the Ponca Carnegie Library on Saturday, December 5, from 1:00 – 4:00.  Members of Friends of the Library  hosted the event, which was open to the public, and  provided refreshments.

Teri Lukken describes herself as a wife, mother of two, and a grandmother of two.  She says she has always loved reading, especially to children.  The love of books inspired her to fulfill a dream of publishing her own children’s books.

Ms. Lukken was Ponca Carnegie Library’s director for 14 years at and she is now office manager at Aitken Family Dentistry.   According to Lukken, “I write poetry and short stories in my spare time when I’m not busy with scrapbook, crochet, and puzzle projects.  I love living in Ponca where the life is good and the simple things mean the most.”

Lukken’s books are “I Love Papa and Papa Loves Me” and “Look Up Look Up!”   This book signing was an opportunity for the community to support a local author and perhaps purchase signed copies of Teri’s books as Christmas gifts.

When the days are short and cold in January, the Friends of the Ponca Carnegie Library plan to warm up the community with a new version of the old-fashioned spelling bee.  Scheduled for January 31 in the High School Fine Arts Center at 2:00 pm, the spelling bee is designed to raise money for the programs of the Ponca Carnegie Library.

The spelling bee is the brainchild of Melissa Ruhrer who is in charge of making everything work, with a lot of help from Friends of the Library.  Teams will compete against each other for fun prizes while earning money for the Ponca Carnegie Library. Special awards will be given to teams for Most Original Team Name, Most Team Spirit, Team with Highest/Lowest Combined Age and Best Costumes.

According to Ruhrer, “We’re looking for teams of three people made up of teachers, parents, high school students, community members, local officials, and area businesses. The more teams, the more fun for this event we are calling Spellapalooza.”

Heather Craig-Oldsen, president of Friends of the Library states, “There should be something for everyone at the community event.  For those who don’t want to try their hand at competitive spelling, all the teams will need cheering sections.  It’s mostly about having fun.  The registration fee is $25, so there may be some non-spellers out there who would be happier sponsoring a team.”

The Friends of the Library group will use funds for several upcoming projects, including providing books to young children in Ponca to encourage early reading. 

Ponca Carnegie Library was one of 5 locations in Ponca to host the Highway 12 Quilt show this past weekend.  The beautiful quilts gave the library a homey atmosphere.  “Quilts are so comforting”

After twelve years behind the desk of the Ponca Carnegie Library Margaret Saxon has announced her retirement.  According to Margaret, “I decided it was time for me to relax a little, but I didn’t want to leave until we had found a good replacement. We have found her and it has been a pleasure to train her for her new position.

At its September 17 Library Board meeting, the trustees approved the hiring of Pattie Goodier. Director Beth Foulks reported to the Board, “Patti Goodier brings with her extensive experience with children both in a professional and personal capacity, being the parent of five and having operated an in-home day care for several years.  She is also proficient with computer technology, which is an essential skill in today’s library.”

Attending the end of the September Board of Trustees meeting, Goodier shared “As a child I was an avid reader and dreamed of being a librarian when I grew up. I did my best to instill by love of books and of the written word to every child that I have had the pleasure to know.”

At its meeting the Board presented Saxon with a certificate of appreciation for her years of service to the Ponca community. Saxon plans to continue to be involved with Friends of the Library and will be available to fill in at the library when needed.

Friends of the Library are planning a road trip for their next book discussion, which will focus on “Black Elk Speaks” by John G. Neihardt.  The discussion will be held at the Neihardt Center in Bancroft, Nebraska, on Saturday, October 3 at 10:00 am, followed by lunch in Bancroft.

Friends member, Myra Alley Kingsbury, created the plan for the road trip and explains, “Since Neihardt is one of our most famous Nebraska authors and since he lived in Bancroft it made sense that we would visit his home and the beautiful center that honors his memory.”

Leading the discussion will be Nancy Gillis, former Executive Director of the John Neihardt State Historic Site and the Neihardt Foundation’s Institute for Vision and Learning. In 2014 Gillis received the Addison Sheldon award from the State of Nebraska for “distinguished service to the history of Nebraska in the stories of Native Americans and the writings of John Neihardt” as well as being a consultant for the Sovereign Youth Leadership Camp. Gillis is listed on both the Nebraska Humanities Council and Wayne State College Speakers Bureaus, for presentations on topics such as Neihardt’s legacy, Native American Women’s Oratory, stereotyping of Native Americans in children’s literature and curriculum materials, as well as workshops on teaching about Native Americans for education majors and teacher in-service programs. 

Story Hour begins after school on Wednesdays starting September 16th at 3:45 – 4:45.  On days when school dismisses early for professional development, story hour will meet from 2:30 -3:30.