By LUCIA BAIN
Hays Public Library
February is here and that means I’m excited about celebrating one of my favorite holidays — Presidents’ Day.
It seems to me everyone has a favorite and least-favorite president and an opinion about the current president, but whatever your sentiments – I think you’d be hard pressed to find an American who didn’t admit that there’s something interesting about the men who’ve held the Oval Office.
This February and March, the Hays Public Library will be hosting an exhibit organized by the National Constitution Center and the American Library Association entitled “Lincoln: The Constitution and The Civil War,” which is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This exhibit will examine how President Lincoln used the Constitution to confront three intertwined crises of the Civil War – the secession of Southern states, slavery and wartime civil liberties. We will be hosting a grand opening for the exhibit on Friday, Feb. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce will do a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m., and a Lincoln impersonator will arrive at 6 p.m. to recite the Gettysburg Address.
Live music from the Civil War era will be played throughout the opening by a quartet from Fort Hays State University and light refreshments will be served. All are invited so please be sure to drop by and support this national exhibit and your public library.
Along with the exhibit the library is hosting several Lincoln-related humanities programs that are being funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Kansas Humanities Council. On Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m. the library will be hosting a very special Read 2 Reel for “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
This nonfiction work not only examines Lincoln’s presidency, but analyzes the men in his cabinet and the genius behind putting a group of political competitors together to lead the nation through the Civil War. Dr. Cheryl Duffy, an English professor at FHSU, will be leading the half-hour discussion of the book. The book discussion will be followed by a screening of the 2012 Oscar-winning movie Lincoln. Whether or not you’ve read the book, feel free to attend this event which will be sure to stimulate and inform anyone interested in history, politics and Abraham Lincoln.
The second Lincoln-related humanities event will be held on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery. Dr. Brian Craig Miller, a professor of History at Emporia State University, will be giving a presentation called “The Tattered Lincoln Album: Lincoln’s Likeness and Image in American History and Memory.” Dr. Miller’s presentation includes over fifty images of Abraham Lincoln during different episodes of his life and gives the audience the opportunity to reflect on how public memory affects the way we see historical figures. This historically rich presentation should fascinate people from all walks of life. Please remember, all of these events are free to attend.
As for non-Lincoln related programs, I’ll be hosting another line dancing class on February 18th at 6 PM for all those interested in learning some new dance steps. Also, on Saturday, Feb. 22 I’ll be hosting a team trivia night. We’ll have ten rounds of trivia with ten questions in each round on a variety of topics. Teens and adults are encouraged to participate. There will be free pizza for all those who attend.
Finally, the Hays Public Library Trust is back up and running and looking for a new board member. If you are interested in learning more about the Trust or would like to know more about being a board member, please contact me at [email protected] or Eric Norris at [email protected].
The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library and is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and by request.
Lucia Bain is Kansas Room librarian at Hays Public Library.