Come To Story Time
Tomorrow is Story Time at the library. Come at 2:00 p.m. to learn about a bear that plays a piano and a dinosaur who doesn’t know she is extinct. We’ll sing and dance and have lots of fun. All preschoolers are welcome.
AudioBooks Are Free At The Library
Audiobooks are great, but subscribing to Audible can get expensive. Save some money by downloading FREE audiobooks through Nebraska Overdrive. There are close to 10,000 audiobooks to choose from. All you need is a free library card from the Sargent Library.
Look Back in Time With A Custer Co. Atlas from 1978 or 1994
Just to let everyone know that the library has Custer County Atlases from 1978 and 1994 for you to peruse. In an atlas you can find maps of different townships where everyone lived. There is a directory of the residents by township that tells husband, wife, children, church affiliation, other community organizations that they belonged to, and how long the family has lived in the county. Probably the most interesting part is the family photos; everyone looks so young 🙂
Preschool Storytime Starting October 4th
All children ages 3-5 are invited to come to Storytime every Wednesday, starting on October 4th at 2:00 p.m. Younger children are welcome to come if they can sit quietly on your lap.
Dr. Marie Antoinette Ames of Sargent, NE
Here’s an interesting bit of Sargent trivia. In 1902-1903 Sargent had a woman physician named Dr. Marie Antoinette Ames.
Ad from Sargent Leader 2-26-1902
She was married to Dr. A.J. Ames who practiced in Taylor, NE.
By August of 1902, both doctors were practicing in Sargent.
Sargent New Era 8-30-1902
Ad from Sargent New Era 9-13-1902
There is no mention of either doctor after 1903
The Forgotten Artistry of Charles Swanson
All around Sargent are memories of the past that have been forgotten or overlooked. The other day I was reminded of this when someone asked me where the library’s bird bath came from and how old it was. For anyone who has ever noticed, this is a beautiful lawn ornament, and it turns out there is quite a bit of history behind it.
The bird bath was purchased for the library in 1931 by the Justamere Club. Charles Swanson was the person who created and designed the stone structure. The history behind Mr. Swanson is what makes this story so interesting.
Charles Swanson was a Swedish immigrant who homesteaded some land in the Cummings Park area (12 miles NW from Sargent). In his later years, he and his wife Maggie moved to Sargent. The couple loved to travel, and everywhere they went, Mr. Swanson would bring back rock specimens – lots of rocks. It made sense then, that he would become an artist in cement. He started building cement/rock structures for his home in Sargent. He designed the front steps, fireplace, and numerous lawn ornaments, and he was able to tell visitors exactly where each rock came from. In addition to his home, he built cement structures all around Sargent and Loup County. According to the Sargent Leader (12/20/34), “it would take volumes to describe all the things he made with his rock specimens set in cement.”
Here is the challenge. How many structures made by Charles Swanson still exist? His artistry was placed in Sargent, Loup County, and the surrounding countryside. You may have passed by one of his works every day and just didn’t know where it came from. Take a picture and send it to sargentlibrary@gmail.com, text it to 402-316-2201, or post it to the library’s Facebook page.
Loup County Museum in Taylor, NE
Gravestone at Madison Square Cemetery
New Books at the Library
Scent of Murder by James O. Born – “Scent of Murder is a terrific twist to cop tales – a gritty, realistic look at the men, women, and dogs in police K-9 units. It’s a joyride that’s at turns funny, thrilling, touching – a must-read.” – W.E.B Griffin
Deadfall by Linda Fairstein – “Hunting a killer within New York’s urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Alexandra Cooper’s career in New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein’s latest riveting thriller.”
Cruel Winter by Sheila Connolly – “Maura Donovan’s Irish pub is running smoothly until a winter storm hits and she, some of her employees and regular patrons get snowed in overnight – along with a suspected killer in a cold case.”
Knife Creek by Paul Doiron – “When Maine game warden Mike Bowditch is tasked with shooting invasive feral hogs that are tearing up the forest in his district, he makes a horrific discovery ― a dead baby buried in a shallow grave. Even more disturbing: evidence suggests the infant was the child of a young woman who was presumed to have died four years earlier after she disappeared from a group rafting trip.“
Still Life by Louise Penny – “Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods on Thankgiving morning. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Chief Inspector Armand Gamache smells something foul this holiday season . . .”
The Late Show by Michael Connelly – “Renee Ballard is a fierce young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD’s toughest beat. One night she catches two assignments she doesn’t want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting.”
All the Little Liars by Charlain Harris – “Aurora Teagarden is basking in her new pregnancy when disaster strikes her small Georgia town: four kids have gone missing from school―and her teenage brother, Phillip, is one of them.”
Dead to Begin With by Bill Crider – “In Clearview, Texas, a wealthy recluse has joined the community and is leading the restoration of an old opera house. When he falls to his death, Sheriff Dan Rhodes suspects that he’s been murdered, but there doesn’t seem to be a motive. Who would want to kill someone who’s helping the town and hasn’t been around long enough to make any enemies?”
The Fix by David Baldacci – “Amos Decker witnesses a murder just outside FBI headquarters. A man shoots a woman execution-style on a crowded sidewalk, then turns the gun on himself. The killing is baffling. Decker and his team can find absolutely no connection between the shooter–a family man with a successful consulting business–and his victim, a schoolteacher.”
Pandemic by A.G. Riddle – “In Africa, a mysterious outbreak spreads quickly. Teams from the CDC and WHO respond, but they soon learn that there is more to the epidemic than they believed. It may be the beginning of a global experiment–an event that will change the human race forever.”
Robert B. Parker’s Little White Lies by Ace Atkins – “Connie Kelly thought she’d found her perfect man on an online dating site. He was silver-haired and handsome, with a mysterious background working for the C.I.A. She fell so hard for M. Brooks Welles that she wrote him a check for almost three hundred thousand dollars, hoping for a big return on her investment. But within weeks, both Welles and her money are gone.”
Even a Cloud Covered Eclipse Can Be An Amazing Experience
Right now it is cloudy outside. It is not exactly the weather that we wanted. Hopefully the clouds will dissipate later in the morning and we will be able to see the sun. If we have a little cloud cover, we may still be able to see the 360 degree sunset during the eclipse. However even if we have total cloud cover during the eclipse, be sure to get outside anyway and experience the effects of the eclipse. Many people have experienced an eclipse on a cloudy day, and they all say they would rather be in the shadow of totality when it is cloudy than to be outside of the shadow on a clear day. Even under cloud cover, you will be able to see the shadow rushing toward you. Then it will suddenly get very dark. The temperature will drop, and finally you will see the shadow rushing away from you. As I write this, the sun is trying to peek out. No matter what happens it will be an awesome experience, so get outside!
Kids Are Smart
I realize that parents and teachers are concerned about young children looking at the sun tomorrow. This is an important concern and every precaution should be taken. However, I think the kids will do just fine. Even young children can understand the dangers of looking directly at the sun with no protection. Today in Sunday school, we had a pair of eclipse glasses sitting on the table. The kids remarked that these glasses looked different from the glasses that they were going to use in school. One little kindergartener asked me, “are you sure those are safe to use? Do they have the correct number on them?” I had to laugh. It seems the parents and teachers are doing an excellent job of educating their children about the eclipse.
Are Eclipses Best Viewed on a Lonely Hilltop or With An Energetic Crowd?
Are you ready for a mass crowd of people to descend upon Nebraska? For anyone who lives less than 4-5 hours from the path of the eclipse, they would be foolish not to come, see, and experience such a rare event. If I lived north of Sargent and within driving distance of the eclipse, my thought would be to drive to where the eclipse will take place, find some lonely country road and pull to the side and watch everything take place. I wonder how many other people have this idea. Perhaps our lonely country roads won’t be so lonely for a few hours – time will tell. However, is a lonely road or hilltop really the best place to view the eclipse?
Great occurrences such as this are even better when shared with other people. This is a video of the total eclipse in 2010 on Easter Island. Just listen to the excitement and energy coming from the crowd. Listen to the cheering when the eclipse finally occurs.
Yes, events like this are best when shared with other people. In Sargent we have an eclipse event planned on the school football field starting at 11:30 a.m., with totality occurring around 12:56 p.m. Free eclipse glasses will be available. The Sargent Economic Development will be serving a lunch (on a donation basis). The library will have a bake sale, and it has been rumored that Janie’s Kolaches and Ricky’s peach muffins will be available.
A special guest and speaker will be AJ Gemer. AJ has degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical engineering, and he is a researcher at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado studying cosmic dust. He will be a great source of information for all questions that are space related.
So far the weather forecast looks good for Monday. We may have a few clouds, but hopefully they will move aside when the eclipse happens. We hope to see you at the football field.