The Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library in St. Joseph will hold a special 60th anniversary celebration this month.
Library Assistant Director Zack North tells us although the first public library in St. Joseph was formed in 1893, it moved into its current building at 500 Market Street in 1966.
“The Carnegie building, which is now the Library Hotel, space is limited and the library outgrew that space,” North said. “So with the help of the Palenske family, we were able to build this new building and move over and really expand our space.”
North says the anniversary celebration this month will have a 1960s theme with live music from PT and the Cruisers, lawn games, food trucks, and contests. They’ll also have a “Beat the Board Book Relay Race,” seeking to recapture the spirit of the book relay that took place in 1966 as volunteers helped the library move its materials from the old location to the new.
“When the building moved in the 1960s, there was kind of a long line of people formed between the old Carnegie Library and the new building. So we’re kind of harkening back to that and doing a relay race.”
North says library staff are now working to dig up old photos of the book relay from Main Street to Market.
The library’s 60th anniversary celebration is set for Saturday, September 26 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Everyone’s invited, and North says to bring an appetite because they’ll have cake.
