Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Coming to Geneseo Library - By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

The Geneseo Public Library has teamed up with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to offer free children’s books.

Claire Crawford, Geneseo Library Director, said, “We are excited to be able to be apart of this fantastic program to promote literacy. It’s been on our radar for some time, and thanks to a grant from the State of Illinois, we are able to make this happen at our library. All you have to do is come into the library and complete a registration form. We feel like it’s a Christmas gift to the children of Henry County.”

The Geneseo Library currently is registering children, 0 to 5 years old, for the January book. Residents of Henry County may register at the library. Online or phone registrations will not be accepted. There is no cost to the families of the children who sign up as the Geneseo Library and the State of Illinois cover the cost along with the Imagination Library.

As a result of a grant written by Claire Crawford, the library is able to shoulder the cost of the program. Monetary donations to the library are always welcome to help defray the costs.

Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family.

Information received from the Geneseo Library stated, “Countless parents have shared how excited their child is when their new book arrives each month. Many groups and individuals work hard behind the scenes to make that special moment possible for each child.”

The aim of the Imagination Library is to pick age-appropriate books that foster a “love of reading and learning; regard for diversity of people, their roles, culture and environment; promotion of self-esteem and confidence, appreciation of art and aesthetics.”

The first book distributed is one of Parton’s favorites, “The Little Engine That Could.”

A children’s book by Parton herself, “I Am a Rainbow,” also has been included in the program.

THE STORY BEHIND DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY

Dolly Parton’s father would be so happy if he could see her now. She has often spoken about her father’s life….”Well, my dad, like so many country people, the hard-working people, especially back in the rural areas, my dad never had a chance to go to school because he had to help make a living for the family. And so Daddy couldn’t read and write.”

Illiteracy was a source of embarrassment and frustration for Parton’s father. He couldn’t do things like complete forms, scan a newspaper or read to his children.

Thoughts of her father and his struggles were the spark that led to the Imagination Library, as Parton wanted to “Do something that would inspire kids to love reading and to love learning. He never had anyone that inspired him in such a way.”

Today, her program spans five countries and gifts over two million free books each month to children around the world.
And now it is enrolling children ages 0 to 5 years of age in the Henry County, Illinois, area.

After launching the program in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, TN, where Dolly Parton grew up.

Parton said in 2028, “It made me feel good in my heart that I could do something to make Daddy proud.”

The program became such a success that in 2010 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the fist of many millions of books sent to children around the world.

Dolly Parton’s home state of Tennessee pledged to pursue statewide coverage in 2004 and global expansion was on the horizon. After the U.S., the program was launched in Canada in 2006, followed by the United Kingdom in 2007; Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019.

Though Parton didn’t love school, she did enjoy reading as a child. Fairy tales broadened her perspective: “The only thing I ever saw growing up was poor people in overalls and broken shoes and ragged clothes. By in my books, I would read about kings and queens with their velvet clothes and big diamond rings. That’s how I knew there was a world outside the Smoky Mountains.”

Research has shown that exposure to reading at an early age leads to better results in school. And Parton knows that literacy has lifelong benefits…”If you can read, even if you can’t afford education, you can go on and learn about anything you want to know.
There’s a book on everything.”

Parton understands how to spark a child’s excitement around books and reading. “From the time they’re born, they get books in the mail with their little names on them. They love running to the mailbox!”

And she opted to make the Imagination Library available to all children, no matter their family’s financial status. “I have always felt we shouldn’t leave anybody out or single anybody out,” she said in 2010.

Together, Dolly Parton and her book gifting organization have received honors and awards for their dedication to enriching the lives of children everywhere. The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, Best Practices Award from the Library of Congress Literacy Awards and recognition in Reading Psychology are just a few among a long list of the prestigious acknowledgements the program has received.

Geneseo Chamber Announces Christmas Open House Featuring the First Lighting

Zack Sullivan, Executive Director
Geneseo Chamber of Commerce
309-944-2686

Christmas Begins Here.

Geneseo’s annual Christmas Open House is the official kickoff to the holiday season, offering customers a fun and unique holiday shopping experience. This year’s Christmas Open House will be Friday November 15, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in Downtown
Geneseo.

The City of Geneseo will unveil and turn on its Downtown holiday decorations for the first time this holiday season. Stores will be open late for Candlelight Shopping, and free horse and wagon rides through Downtown Geneseo will be offered, sponsored by Springfield Armory.
The Shop Geneseo! Promotion will also kick off, in which shoppers supporting Geneseo businesses get cards stamped for their purchases, and for every $100spent, they enter into a drawing to win prizes, gift certificates, and more. Supporting local small businesses in Geneseo this holiday season is a win-win!

But, in 2024, we are going big for our holiday kickoff. Earlier this year, an independent arborist advised that the City Christmas Tree, which had served as the centerpiece of Geneseo’s holiday celebrations for over 30 years, is at extreme risk of failure and should be taken down for safety purposes.
The City made the difficult decision to remove the tree this past summer. In June, Geneseo celebrated the tree one final time with an epic summertime Christmas celebration called “The Last Lighting”.
The Last Lighting attracted over 800 people to Downtown Geneseo to see the tree light up one more time. And what an evening it was! Since then, the tree has been removed and a new platform is being built to accommodate the new tree and a better layout for parade announcing during the Geneseo Christmas Walk event, which will be on Saturday December 14, 2024.

Now, let the anticipation begin as Geneseo counts down to “The First Lighting” of the new City Christmas Tree. The new tree is a beautiful artificial tree, and it will become the focal point of Geneseo’s holiday traditions moving forward. It is a stunning tree! The First Lighting will take place at 6:00 pm during the Christmas Open House event, with a countdown led by Santa and Mrs. Claus. We will be closing off the street at the tree and people are invited to take photos with the new tree, enjoy Christmas Music, holiday treats and luminaires!
Of course, Santa will be on hand to help us light the tree for the first time!

For more information, contact the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce at 309-944-2686,

email geneseo@geneseo.org, or visit www.geneseo.org.

Meet Melanie Rice – Geneseo Historical Museum Curator

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Melanie Rice has been named curator/director of the Geneseo Historical Museum, stepping into the position held by Angie Snook, who recently retired after serving as curator/director since 1996.

Even though the title is quire new for Rice, her involvement with Geneseo’s gallery of history began years ago.

She moved to Geneseo in 1991 to work as a school social worker in the Geneseo School District…”In the early 1990’s JCTV (Jaycees) was launched and I was in the Jaycees at that time and fairly new to town,” she said. ‘There was an opportunity to cover the Geneseo Historical Museum and I volunteered to do the monthly segment that played on Channel 50. That’s when I met Angie Snook. I interviewed her once per month about something historical and highlighted the Museum. It was just fun and I learned a lot.”

Rice was asked to become a member of the Museum Board and said that allowed to learn even more about Geneseo history…”However, when our four children got busy with sports and activities, I chose to resign from the Board.”

Prior to that time, history was part of Rice’s life as she shared that her interest began as she was growing up…”Each summer, my family would take a two-week vacation in a van or station wagon, whatever we had at that time,” she said. “It seemed like we would always stop at a Museum, a historic plantation, a previous president’s house or a famous historical figure’s home or workplace. Some of my favorites include Edison and Ford’s home in Ft. Myers, FL, and Andrew Jackson’s home in Tennessee.”

“Fast forward to when I had my own family and in between travel soccer and baseball games, if there was a significant window of time, we would search out and visit anything historical in that particular area,” she said.

“I was very busy with my own family and even made them all volunteer at the Museum when they were all old enough,” she added. “We did a lot of cleaning of the front porch as well as picked weeds and cut Hosta flowers. I wanted to still be involved with the Museum in some way and this was a way to help and teach my children about volunteering in the community.”

When Angie Snook first planned her retirement in 2015, Rice was asked by a Museum Board member if she was interested in considering the position…”I responded that I intended to finish what I started and had about eight years to go until I retired from being a school social worker,” she shared. “During the winter of 2022, I heard that Angie was going to look to retire, again, and on a whim, I called a Board member and said I was interested if they could wait two years.”

Rice interviewed for the position and the Museum Board accepted the idea of her working at the Museum during summers and days off, and Snook also agreed to wait two years until Rice retired from the school district.

“It was a great way to ease into such an information-heavy job!” Rice added. “I learned many things during those two years by observing, reading, studying and being around the Museum, attending Board meetings and listening to anything I could. I have so much more to learn and am excited about all the possibilities.”

In the beginning days of assuming her position at the Museum, Rice worked on the Wedding Dress Exhibit which displayed 110 historical wedding dresses that were sprinkled throughout the Museum…”We were able to host a Victorian Garden Party in August and we were open to many visitors during Geneseo’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ festivities, as well as being open for the recent State Street Market in downtown Geneseo.”

Rice is currently busy working on the Christmas Open House at the Museum, always a popular event, which will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, and she added, “The Museum will sparkle and highlight an old-fashioned Victorian Christmas.”

“In the future, we plan to offer Mini-Exhibits in our Stees-Keppy Education Room every six to eight weeks,” she said. ‘Currently, our display is ‘Ladies Fashions Through the Decades.’ These exhibits are educational in nature and will highlight different historical artifacts. Tune into our new Website coming by the end of October and this will also link interested visitors to our new Face book Page that has a Historical Highlight posted on each Friday.”

The Museum also has opportunities for interested community members to become involved as a Friend of the Museum, Rice explained, and added, “We have 20 plus dedicated individuals assisting with tours, exhibits, decorating, grounds-keeping work as well as other activities. Anyone interested in joining our Friends of the Museum group, is asked to contact the Museum (309-944-3043) for more information.”

Rice commented, “The Geneseo Historical Association has been around since 1972. The Museum would not be what it is today without Angie Snook and previous, dedicated board members and volunteers working countless hours paving the way for what visitors see today. The plan is to continue the dedicated work and carry the brightly lit torch into the future for many generations to come with more school tours, educational opportunities, rotating historical exhibits and much more, all the while, carrying on the tradition of sharing our Geneseo History with local community members as well as out-of-town visitors.”

She invited visitors by adding, “Stop by the Geneso Historical Museum and see what’s new! We are open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 3 p.m., by chance or by appointment. We’d love to see you’re here!”

Geneseo Chamber of Commerce Announces 2024 State Street Market

Zack Sullivan, Executive Director
Geneseo Chamber of Commerce
309-944-2686

Geneseo, IL - The Geneseo Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you into Geneseo on Saturday October 5th for the 2024 State Street Market. A day of shopping, food, live music, and more! A curated list of over 60 vendors and mobile boutiques will be set up along historic State Street in Downtown Geneseo from 10am-5pm. Shop vintage, handmade, and handpicked goods from all over the Midwest region.

Make a day of it! Enjoy excellent shopping and dining city-wide all day long. This year you can expect to see many of past market vendors returning alongside some new names setting up for their very first market. This is a great day to make Geneseo, Illinois a shopping and dining destination. Geneseo is conveniently located in the heart of the Midwest on Interstate 80 and is easily accessible by Interstate 80; Interstate 280; and Interstate 74.

Live music and Fun! Right at the center of State Street Market you will find LIVE MUSIC happening the entire market time. Angela Meyer will perform at State Street Market from 10am-1:30pm and Bobby Ray Bunch will take the hayrack stage from 1:30pm-5pm. Food trucks will be setup for market guests and picnic tables and blankets will be spread out for a safe and fun outdoor dining experience. Geneseo’s brick and mortar stores and restaurants will also be open and ready to greet you.

For more information about the 2024 event, follow State Street Market Geneseo on Facebook and Instagram: @statestreetmarketgeneseo #statestreetmarketgeneseo

Questions? For more information, call the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce at 309-944-2686 or via email at geneseo@geneseo.org.

Hammond-Henry Hospital Welcomes Dr. James Schrier As New General Surgeon

The Board of Directors of Hammond-Henry Hospital and its Administration announce the addition of Dr. James Schrier, FACS, General Surgeon, to its hospital staff, beginning November 1.  

“We believe it is of the utmost importance that we can accommodate all the general surgical needs of our community, and for that reason, we’ve been seeking an additional highly skilled and respected board-certified general surgeon,” said Colton Anderson, Director of Clinics and Provider Recruitment. “We are confident that Dr. Schrier will fulfill this need.”

A Board-certified surgeon, Dr. Schrier performs the following general surgeries: appendectomies, bowel obstructions/resections, breast cancer care, colonoscopies, endoscopies, gall bladder removal, hemorrhoid surgeries, laparoscopic surgeries, port placements, skin cancer removal, and soft tissue mass removal. He will begin serving patients at Hammond-Henry Hospital on November 1.

Dr. Schrier attended the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree, and continued his education at the University of Iowa College of Medicine for his Doctorate. He has completed residencies at the University of Iowa in general surgery and family practice. His surgical experience and interests include, but are not limited to, core general surgery, oncology, laparoscopic and advanced laparoscopic surgery, and robotic surgery with the DaVinci robot.

“Dr. Schrier is an outstanding surgeon, and we are grateful to have someone with his expertise and commitment to excellence in healthcare serving on our surgical staff,” said Anderson. Dr. Schrier will join Dr. Matthew Heberer as part of the Hammond-Henry Hospital Surgical Clinic team. Those interested in more information about obtaining a referral are asked to call 309.944.1595.

Angie Snook Retires As Curator Of Geneseo Historical Museum - By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

Retiring has been a “journey” for Angie Snook, curator/director of the Geneseo Historical Museum, and her retirement became official in June of this year. For Snook, the “third time” truly was a charm as she had planned to retire from her position at the museum two previous times…And moving into that phase of life is bittersweet for her.

She first retired as curator at the Geneseo Historical Museum in 2015, but returned in 2016 to take the place of a director who had resigned. In the fall of 2019, Snook thought she was stepping into retirement, but was once again was asked to be in charge of the museum for a bit longer.

Her official retirement did take place though, on June 1st of this year.

Melanie Rice is now the curator/director. Rice was a social worker for the Geneseo School District, but retired from the school district in May of 2024.

Snook said, “I am excited for Melanie in her position as director. She has been on the museum board for many years and I know she has a passion for Geneseo history.”

Angie Snook is retired as curator at the museum, but continues to be actively involved, serving as a board member and an enthusiastic volunteer.

“I will always enjoy being involved with the museum,” she said. “The museum is like my baby. I have given it up for adoption, but I still have visiting rights.”

Even though she will not be at the museum on a daily basis, the popularity of the programs she began while serving as curator will continue as she has already scheduled future programs.

Snook was named curator in 1996, but her involvement with the museum’s place in history started nearly 20 years earlier during her time as a volunteer and board member.

She was instrumental in the purchase of the Italianate house for the museum, which had been located in the original Geneseo Public Library building on State St.

“As president of the Geneseo Historical Museum, I knew that house would be the perfect setting for the new museum,” she said.

The museum board submitted a bid to purchase the home and when that bid was opened by Rosalie Thede, owner of the home, Snook recalled Thede said, ‘That is what my mother always wanted.’”

In November of 1996 the Thede house became the Geneseo Historical Museum’s permanent home.

“We were working on a fund to pay for the new museum,” Snook said. “Don Stocks was the curator at that time and somehow found a way to save $113,000 during his 25-year tenure. The late Marie Lodge, a museum board member, gave the Historical Association a $100,000 loan “to get the museum up and going,” Snook said.

During the museum’s move from the “old library” to its new home, Stocks became ill and died.

In 1996, after being a preschool educator at Growth, Inc., Geneseo, Snook became the curator.

The museum opened the doors to its new home during Geneseo’s 1997 Victorian Walk.

“People were lined up to see the museum, to the north along the downtown street,” Snook said, adding that more than 2,700 people visited the museum on that evening.

“In the spring of 1998, the museum had so many tours and programs scheduled that the board decided it was necessary to set regular hours of operation,” she said.

“In 2014, there were about 11,000 visitors to the museum and about 3,200 students came for tours.”

And Snook also took museum programs “on the road’ and she visited schools in the Quad City area, Galva, Cambridge, Colona and Orland Park in the Chicago area.

“Many high school football teams visited the museum when they came to play football in Geneseo….The ‘underground railroad’ stories are the biggest reason for all the programs and tours. Slavery and the freedom trail that are part of Geneseo’s heritage have generated great interest.”

In 2003, a museum volunteer, Bea Welsh, convinced Snook the museum would be the perfect place for tea parties for little girls.

Those were not just tea parties as Snook and volunteers incorporated “taking tea and tea etiquette” in the events.

“Little did we know how much fun it was going to be for the children, but also for myself and ‘Maid Alice’, (the late Aiice Lopez). The children loved it and our tea parties snowballed into teas for women, boys and girls and entire families,” Snook shared.

The rule at the tea parties was that everyone had to choose a hat from the museum collection to wear to the tea party.

“Over the years there have been hundreds of tea parties for all ages and it was one of the highlights that the museum offered,” Snook said.

Snook commented that creating displays has always been a favorite for her.

“I loved the museum from the very first time I became involved as a volunteer,” she said. “Hearing stories from the visitors and sharing in their love for antiques and history brought me great joy.”

She said what gave her the most joy was when donors shared about what they were donating to the museum and how the item had been saved for generations…That is heartwarming,” Snook said. “To think they loved it enough to give it to the museum to preserve and display. Everything in the museum is a gift and is special.”

Each item donated has been logged and numbered with the name of the donor.

The success of the museum would not be possible without the support from many people, Snook said. “There have been many people in my many years at the museum that have done much to insure the museum will always be alive with history.”

“None of the projects would have been possible without all the gifts, estates, grants, donations and the many volunteers sharing their time and talents. Many local businesses discount their materials and services for the museum.”

In 1996, the museum board made a wish list and with everyone working together, these visions came to fruition.

“We were able to add the Stees & Keppy Education Wing in 2010 and the carriage house on Center St. in 2014. Both of those projects would not have been possible without all the donated hours of labor by the late Les Stees and his brother Gene Stees.”

The museum is a 501 © 3 non-profit organization which does not receive any city, state or federal tax dollars.

Snook’s family has been part of her “journey,” and she said from the time her own children were youngsters they went with her to the museum.

Angie and her husband, Mel, have one daughter, Ami (Jon) Murray, Geneseo; and their children, (Sam (Autumn) Murray, Geneseo; and Eryn Murray, Geneseo); and a son, Andy (Trista) Snook, (children Aydan and Josephine Snook) who live in Bangkok, Thailand. There is also a great-grandchild, Forrest Murray, Geneseo.

Many family vacations were spent doing research and Snook recalled the year she and husband Mel followed the freedom trail along the Ohio River.

“It confirmed the fact that Geneseo’s founding fathers were among the 70 early abolitionists,” she said. “That led to our research vacation to Genesee County in New York, and that trip proved that our founding fathers came here in their quest to abolish slavery…That discovery ranks right up there with me with getting married, having children and grandchildren.”

In her retirement Snook plans to continue to work on Geneseo’s history including the underground railroad.

Technology Upgrades at Geneseo Library - By Claudia Loucks

By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current

On Oct. 11, 2011, the new $2.5 million Geneseo Public Library building opened to the public. It was funded entirely with private donations and community support. Inside the building were a bank of computers for public use with free Wi-Fi and printers. The library was tech-savvy!

That was then, and this is now: The internet speed back then was about 1 MBPS; as of 2019 it is 100 MBPS. Google appeared in 2011, and who would ever think of not using it now to find information? In addition, there are sophisticated cell phones, many new social media platforms and advanced AI technology.

Many people work remotely from their homes, so Microsoft Office and other software has been developed to facilitate that use. Google maps are used to find the way, Snap chat to share photos, What Sapp to message friends, Oculus to play virtual reality games, Netflix to binge movies/videos. Instagram to stay updated on what’s going on in the world in addition to many other technological applications.

Many shopping malls have closed because people are making purchases online, with the number one seller being Amazon.

The world of technology continues to move forward, and in keeping up with the pace, a major upgrade was in order for the library.

Here’s what’s new:

-To make working on your computer easier, two new high-up chairs have been added to the multi-tasking table near the north window in the library.

-Eight new computers have been installed for public use.

-Several of these computers have dual screens.

-All eight have USB hubs that accommodate all five USB device ports.

-All eight have headphones to keep your viewing experience private.

The Wi-Fi access also has changed. All patrons may access the Wi-Fi connection free of charge at the library, but must first agree to the user policy and enter the password: freewifi.

Wi-Fi also is available outside of the library. Patrons can access Wi-Fi from outside of the building 24/7. There are security cameras around the building, so should there be any “suspicious activity” while visitors are parked in their car after the library is closed, it will show up on the cameras. If anyone feels at risk of harm, they should call 911. The lighting in the parking lot also has been updated to make it a safer place after dark.