Celebrating 250 years of independence in America

On July 8, members of Friends  of Ruch Library (FORL), library staff,  and community folks from Ruch and  surrounding areas participated together  in the “Sharing the Spirit of America  250” program inside the library. At 3 pm, 32 people read the entire Declaration  of Independence together, along with  people throughout the  United States.

A tidbit of history:  July 8 was the date  of the first reading  of the Declaration of  Independence to the  public at large.

Many thanks to all  of you who participated  at Ruch and to Hawaii’s  America 250 Commission  for the inspiration and  planning of this event.  On their website, they  had a map of the United  States with markers of  all the participating  groups and individuals  across America, and Ruch  had a marker!

Our collective voices  filled the library with  the reading. Then John  Frohnmayer picked up  his guitar and led the  group with old-time,  patriotic, and country style songs, followed  by refreshing ice-cream  sundaes and delicious  baked goodies from  Rebecca Krack, owner  of the new local bakery,  Lemon Queen. The  wonderful conversations  led to new friendships  and an overwhelming  response to “let’s make  this an annual event.” So mark your  calendars for July 8, 2027, and let’s have  a community and FORL committee to  plan it. Just let me, as FORL’s president,  know you are interested.

A huge thank-you goes to Arnie  Klott at Pronto Print and FORL member  Pat Gordon for helping sponsor FORL’s  reusable 10’ x 4’ banner, and another  thank-you to Ramsey Realty for allowing  us to hang the banner and advertise  the event on their large signboard.

FORL News on Summer Book Selling

The Book Barn will be closed in  September due to the probable hot weather,  opening again on Saturday, October 3,  from noon to 4 pm. Due to the extreme  heat, book sorting is also on hold until  the cooler days of October. Bring your  donations and shop when it’s cooler! If you  have several boxes of books  to donate, call me at 541 846-7501, and we’ll make  arrangements to put them  in the sorting area.

The A-Frame bookstore  is open, with air  conditioning, on Tuesdays,  Thursdays, and Saturdays  from 1 to 3 pm. The “new  to the A-Frame” books are  on the left as you enter the  store. “Special Treasures,”  a new section on the left  wall, has vintage books to  current books for $5.00  each. Don’t forget to check  the “Local Authors” display  just inside the entrance on  your right. Many of these  special collections sell  right away, so remember  to check each visit.

We are continuing to  receive challenged and  banned books and classics  in varying conditions that  are available to purchase.  Books are $2.00 each,  with children’s and  junior’s books for $.50  each. Special collections  are marked with the cost.    Leave us a comment  when you visit the A-Frame  bookstore or the Book  Barn. You are a voice in  our community, and we’d  like to have suggestions  for great books and shopping experiences  and for future programs that feature the  outdoors, special opportunities, history,  and more. Sharing lifelong learning is part  of our mission, and we’d appreciate your  thoughts and whatever time you might  be able to offer. We have an awesome  rural community, thanks to so many of us  working together!

Janis Mohr-Tipton 

FORL President 

541-846-7501

Image 1: Janis Mohr-Tipton is  inviting you to join in  the Independence Day  celebration, which was well  attended and will perhaps  become an annual event.  Photo by Caleb Galloway.

Image 2: “Special Treasures,” the most  recent section of the store’s  collections. This one features  titles from vintage to current.  Photo by Barbara  Krack.