Gold Mine Spring/Summer Opening!
April 17, 2025: As the days get longer and the sun warms the Valley, it’s time to switch up our gear and attire. The Gold Mine Thrift Store springs into action with new merchandise and fresh ways to heat up your style.
The Spring/Summer Opening begins with a Winter Clearance Event:
- April 10: 20% off most items
- April 12: 40% off most items
- April 14: 60% off most items
- April 15: 75% off most items; Hours: 9am-12pm April 15 only (Same hours for donation drop-off)
- April 17: SPRING/SUMMER OPENING – Doors open at 9am! (April 17 only)
Typical hours: 10:00am-6pm. Gold Mine Thrift is located at 331 Walnut Avenue in Ketchum. Proceeds from the Gold Mine stores help support books, literacy, and programs at The Community Library.
View/download our Seasonal Sales Schedule here.
See what’s new on our Facebook page.
Sun Valley Film Festival: “Explorer: The Last Tepui” Screening
The Community Library hosts a free screening in partnership with the Sun Valley Film Festival of “Explorer: The Last Tepui,” a Disney+ Earth Day special from National Geographic.
The film follows elite climber Alex Honnold (“Free Solo”) and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff. Their goal is to deliver legendary biologist and National Geographic Explorer Bruce Means to the top of a massive “island in the sky” known as a tepui. The team must first trek miles of treacherous jungle terrain to help Dr. Means complete his life’s work, searching the cliff wall for undiscovered animal species. The one-hour special is the newest installment of National Geographic’s long-running “Explorer” series. This Earth Day, learn why the tepuis – much like the Galapagos – are a treasure trove of biodiversity worth protecting.
The film runs 54 minutes and is family friendly!
Space is limited, and 100 seats are available for this film on a first-come, first-served basis.
Sun Valley Film Festival: “The First Wave”
Screening and Q&A at The Community Library
The Community Library hosts a free screening in partnership with the Sun Valley Film Festival of “The First Wave,” a film by Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning director Matthew Heineman.
With exclusive access inside one of New York’s hardest hit hospital systems during the terrifying first four months of the pandemic, THE FIRST WAVE spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of COVID-19 as they come together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered. Leaving a devastating trail of death and despair, this once-in-a-century pandemic changed the very fabric of our daily lives and exposed long-standing inequities in our society.
Employing his signature approach of character-driven cinema vérité, Heineman embeds with a group of doctors, nurses and patients on the frontlines as they all desperately try to navigate the crisis. With each distinct storyline serving as a microcosm through which we can view the emotional and societal impacts of the pandemic, THE FIRST WAVE is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
The film runs 93 minutes and will be followed by a short Q&A with Dr. Nathalie Dougé, who is featured in the film.
Space is limited, and 100 seats are available for this film on a first-come, first-served basis. The film and Q&A are live events only.
Tweens & Teens: Game & Grub
Free pizza and snacks for tweens & teens!
Our Juicebox computers now have STEAM PC CAFÉ games as well as updated Minecraft and Roblox. We also have Nintendo Switches available to checkout for use in the Library and our Teen Lounge is a great space to hang, play on your phone, with friends, or read.
We’ll provide pizza, snacks, computers, and board games on Thursday, March 24th from noon – 2 pm for our local tweens and teens. Come see us.
Book Review: The Big Umbrella…
…and So You Want to Talk About Race
Children’s Librarian Lee Dabney recommends The Big Umbrella and So You Want to Talk About Race.
For those of you who don’t know me, I am the story-time lady. Every Monday at 10:30 a.m. a group of tiny people and their caregivers join me for stories and an activity.
The past few months, I have been going through the alphabet letter-by-letter as inspiration for our weekly themes. On February 14, the letters were U and V. Underwear, ukulele, unicorn, violin, volcano, and valentine (I know, terrific timing!)
One of the books I picked for U was The Big Umbrella by author/illustrator Amy June Bates with help from her teenage daughter Juniper. Basically, the umbrella is a metaphor for a society where there is room for all to gather under its protective covering. No matter if you are a ballerina, a big bird, or a hairy monster, there is space for you. It is lovely message and the straightforward delivery is simple enough for young children to grasp.
Interestingly, it is another group of young people who have inspired me to read an additional book about inclusion. The Blaine County Amnesty International Club, whose members are primarily teenagers, are currently sponsoring an ongoing book club to discuss Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race.
Every other week, alternating between The Community Library and the Hailey Public Library, readers are invited to a discussion about different themes (chapters) in Oluo’s book. Where The Big Umbrella is soft and sweet in the telling of its story, So You Want to Talk About Race can be uncomfortable and unflinching in its delivery. Bigger kids (and adults) can handle this blunt approach, and it serves as a framework for constructive discussion and a more nuanced understanding of what inclusion, equity, and opportunity (or lack thereof) look like in the real world.
I hope you will pick up a copy of, Ijeoma Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race to read (there are free copies available at both libraries). And please consider going a step further and joining the ongoing discussion of this book. As the parent of a teenager, I can assure you that it is not every day that they extend an invitation that includes “grownups.” There is a reason this group of young people chose this book and are including us. Like Story Time for young children, supporting our older kids and their endeavors is key to their growth; and who knows, they might even teach us a thing or two.
