Friends of the Library ‘Reading is Golden’ luncheon highlights 50 years of history

     Celebrating Heginbotham Library’s 50th anniversary, this year’s Friends of the Library annual salad luncheon featured a “Reading is Golden” theme. Members and their guests gathered at Phillips County Museum last Tuesday, Feb. 12.
     After sharing a meal, the Friends of the Library held a short meeting and heard from Mary Austin of the library board and library director Kathy Bornhoft. The highlight of the event was a presentation by Carol Koontz about the history of the library at Heginbotham mansion and the process having it designated as a historical site.
     Koontz, who was neither born nor raised in Holyoke, nevertheless embraced the community and has committed countless hours to serving the library. “Through her work, we now have one of the most enchanting libraries in the state of Colorado,” Bornhoft said as an introduction.
     Though there was little support — and sometimes flat-out opposition — Koontz began the process of getting the library added to the National Register of Historic Places over 30 years ago. It involved several meetings and trips to Denver throughout a two-year process before the library was finally added to the register in 1988. Knowing that it’s protected, however, made the work worthwhile.

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