Foyer Exhibits

Tracks & Traces: Reconstructing Chinese History…

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…in Southern Idaho

Chinese man chopping wood F 00302

In the late 19th Century, many Chinese men migrated from California to Idaho, along with Europeans and others in pursuit of gold and the promise of Manifest Destiny.

The Idaho Territory spawned numerous mining towns, and Chinese residents and laborers made up one-third of the population by 1870. Due in part to anti-Chinese sentiment, Chinese settlers lived close together and worked difficult and undesirable jobs like laundry service, cooking, small farming, and smelter work.

Anti-Chinese sentiment grew in the West.

Chinese Exclusion Act 1882

In 1882, President Chester Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act. As a result, racial discrimination grew more intense and more violent. There were organized efforts to run Chinese residents out of Idaho towns: in Hailey, an Anti-Chinese League formed, and the Wood River Times wrote anti-Chinese opinions.

To date, there is very little known about the many Chinese residents of the Wood River Valley, because none of them remained. Tracks & Traces tells the story of their ghosts.

Exhibit Artifacts-Sampling

Liquor bottle
Liquor bottle
1935-1940
On loan from the Blaine County Historical Museum
Lu Xing Figurine
Lu Xing Figurine
Tao god of wealth and prosperity
On loan from the Blaine County Historical Museum
Green Glazed Ginger Jar
Green Glazed Ginger Jar
Early 20th Century
Embossed with floral motifs
ivory Mahjong set
Ivory Mahjong Set
1920-1940
Tiles made of ivory and bamboo and hand-painted with symbols

Tracks & Traces is part of the 2025 Winter Read of Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. More here.

Tiny Art Show 2024

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Library Foyer Exhibit
December 2024-January 2025

In November 2024, the Children’s Library hosted a Tiny Art Show for children and teen patrons, which included 28 entries from artists two-fifteen years of age. Patrons browsed the exhibit and voted on their favorites in several categories. All the artists received an award certificate and five were selected for special honors.

The exhibit was moved to the Library’s foyer in December, to further celebrate the creative inspiration of these young artists.

Tiny Art Fancy Cat by Josie Age 11

Winner: All-around Favorite

Tiny Art The Spooky Tiger by Onyx Age 5

Winner: Best Title

Tiny Art Mountain Sunset

Winner: Best Use of Color

Tiny Art Breaking the Surface by Indy Age 10

Winner: Made the Most People Smile

Tiny Art Dreamland by Sophia Age 10

Winner: Most Creative

Tiny Art A Rainbow by Annabel Age 3
Tiny Art Apple by Anne Age 5

Tiny Art Camping in the Woods by Laelia Age 6

Tiny Art Colors by Emma Age 8
Tiny Art Eyes and Blue by Holden Age 2

Tiny Art Fun by Henry Age 2

Tiny Art Idaho with Sully on an Adventure with Me by Boone Age 4
Tiny Art Mermaid in Sunset by Nathaly Age 9

Tiny Art Mountain Willow by Genevieve Age 5

Tiny Art Nature of Idaho by Georgia Age 6
Tiny Art Night Rainbow and Stars by Skyler Age 6

Tiny Art Rainbow by Phoebe Age 5

Tiny Art Rainbow Flower by Zoe Age 5
Tiny Art Shadow by Velouria Age 7

Tiny Art Shiny Tomato by Conway Age 15

Tiny Art Sky Lantern by Lea Age 5
Tiny Art Summer_Winter Sun Valley by McKay Age 8

Tiny Art Summer_Winter Sun Valley by McKay Age 8

Tiny Artt Sunset by Cecily Age 10
Tiny Art Tornado by Raven Age 2

Tiny Art Untitled by Rigby Age 4

Tiny Art Untitled in Paint & Sparkles by Wavey Age 6
Tiny Art Wild Field by Luciana Age 11

Hemingway’s Grave: A Year of Offerings

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August-November 2024
Library Foyer

The Community Library featured a Foyer exhibit that displayed objects collected from the gravesite of Ernest Hemingway, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Hemingway died by his own hand in 1961 in his home in Ketchum, Idaho.* He was buried in the Ketchum Cemetery and his funeral ceremony was attended by close friends and family.

Ernest Hemingway's Funeral 1961
Photo: Center for Regional History, Hemingway Collection

Curated by prominent Broadway director Les Waters, Hemingway’s Grave: A Year of Offerings, brought together select tokens from hundreds that were left at Ernest Hemingway’s grave in Ketchum over the course of one year. The exhibit featured all the liquors bottles left there, plus the coins and paper money, an assortment of ephemera, a rose, and a deeply personal letter.

Waters also selected items he found most interesting, and surprising, for the exhibit, including a brand-new red lipstick, a fly-fishing lure, a bullet casing, a shiny silver bracelet, and a cat collar. These are displayed in a collection with other ephemera found at the gravesite. One of the most poignant items left behind was a letter from a woman who found encouragement and hope in Hemingway’s work during in a particularly difficult period of her life.

Hemingways grave for website

Liquor bottles, coins, and paper bills were among the most common items left at Ernest Hemingway’s gravesite over the course of one year.

Ernest Hemingway’s Final Refuge 

Hemingway Portrait by Yousef Karsh 1957
Portrait by Yousef Karsh, 1957

Ernest Hemingway died by suicide in Ketchum, Idaho, on July 2, 1961. He had been coming to Idaho for twenty-two years, when he was at the height of his literary powers and when he was his most vulnerable. He developed deep friendships here, and he had an abiding affection for the landscape.   

Hemingway is buried in the Ketchum cemetery, now surrounded by the gravesites of his immediate family members and close friends. His gravesite has become a pilgrimage site, and many people leave offerings at his grave. The objects accumulate daily, throughout all the seasons.  

In September 2022, the theater director Les Waters came to Ketchum through the Sun Valley Playwright’s Residency to collaborate with monologist David Cale on Blue Cowboy, a piece about Ketchum,  a dog, a certain cowboy, and the annual Trailing of the Sheep.  

Waters knew little about Ketchum before that visit—only that people skied here, that Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich were associated with the town; that perhaps a famous writer lived and died here. . . . While he was in Ketchum, Waters visited Hemingway’s gravesite, and he became fascinated by the tokens that people left there and what they might represent.  

Waters was inspired to develop a project with The Community Library (with the permission of the Ketchum Cemetery) to collect and log these objects over the course of one year. He did so with the help of local literary scholar Lauren Allan, who also worked on the Hemingway Letters Project. Over one year, hundreds of objects were collected from the gravesite of this complex man who shaped modern literature. 

The exhibit, Hemingway’s Grave: A Year of Offerings, presents a collection of these tokens. It will be on display in the Library’s Foyer through December 2024.

*The Historic Ernest Hemingway House and Preserve, which Ernest shared with his fourth wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway, is managed by The Community Library Association as a private residence for visiting writers, and the site of ongoing preservation efforts.

Summer Games | Local Heroes

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Honoring Summer Olympians in the Wood River Valley

Library Foyer Exhibit
July-August 2024

In life, there are many setbacks. I always tell myself, ‘Don’t give up. Head straight for your goal.’ 
~Gabriela (Gaby) Andersen-Schiess on the hard finish to her Olympic Marathon 

The Community Library and Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History are honoring the achievements of local athletes who participated in the Olympic Summer Games. The new exhibit, “Summer Games | Local Heroes” will be on display in the Library’s Foyer from July 6 through Labor Day, 2024, featuring stories and special memorabilia from 11 Olympians connected to the Wood River Valley.

You’ll also find commemorative pins from various Olympic games in the exhibit—on loan from collector Chuck Jones, who has collected nearly 10,000 pins over ten Olympic Games. 

From Muffy Davis’s gold medal, to Greg Randolph’s red, white, and blue road bike, to a photograph of the revolutionary “Fosbury Flop,” and much more, the exhibit features artifacts from the following Olympic athletes (pictured below left-to-right, top-to-bottom: Gaby Andersen, Muffy Davis, Dick Fosbury, Georgia Gould, Adrienne Lyle, Ruthie Matthes, Debbie McDonald, Greg Randolph, Chris Spelius, Rod Strachan, and Dara Torres.

Read more here about these remarkable athletes.

Summer Games | Local Heroes – Olympians

Gabriela (Gaby) Andersen-Schiess  
Track & Field | Los Angeles 1984 

In life, there are many setbacks. I always tell myself, ‘Don’t give up. Head straight for your goal.’ ~Gaby Andersen

Gabriela “Gaby” Andersen finished in 37th place in the first women’s Olympic marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympic games. It is not her placement, however, that remains indelibly inked into our hearts. It is the image of a woman who refused to quit.  

Gaby began the race strong, but as the heat reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Gaby missed the fifth and final water station. Her body began to fail, her legs cramped, and she lost control. In an iconic display of perseverance, Gaby waved away the medical staff as the crowd cheered her to the finish line. She is lauded to this day for her demonstration of unbelievable determination and true Olympian spirit. 

Gaby is a Swiss American athlete who participated in the first ever women’s Olympic marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles. At the time, Gabby lived and worked here in her beloved long-time home of Sun Valley as a ski instructor.  

Despite her American residence, she represented her home country of Switzerland in the 1984 Summer Games. This local legend is remembered best for her iconic performance on that marathon track. The day started out with a relatively cool 68 degrees Fahrenheit as the 50 runners set off from Santa Monica College.  

Gaby started off strong, but throughout the race, she worried about the increasing heat. As the day drew on and the race approached its climax, so did the heat, reaching a boiling 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Critically, she ended up missing the fifth and final water station. The last meters of the race proved brutally difficult as the heat radiated in from the stadium. Her body began to fail her as her legs cramped and she lost control. But even stumbling, she was determined to finish the race. In an iconic display of perseverance, she waved away the medical staff as the crowd cheered her on towards the finish line.  

She finished in 37th place with a time of 2:48:42. She is lauded to this day for her demonstration of unbelievable determination and true Olympian spirit. She continues to this day to be an invaluable part of our community.  

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Muffy Davis
Cycling | London 2012 

I am just a person, full of flaws, but who has been blessed with adversity, and who has accepted the challenge to learn and grow from the opportunity. ~Muffy Davis

At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Muffy Davis – who faced a life-altering skiing accident at the age of 16 that left her paralyzed from the chest down – secured three gold medals in handcycling, showcasing her versatility and unmatched perseverance. Her story is a powerful testament to overcoming obstacles and redefining possibilities. 

Muffy, a Sun Valley native, exemplifies the spirit of resilience and triumph over adversity. A former competitive skier, Muffy transitioned to adaptive sports, becoming a Paralympic champion and a beacon of inspiration.

Muffy’s victories highlight her exceptional athletic ability and her unwavering spirit in the face of challenge. Her legacy in Sun Valley and beyond serves as a shining example of the indomitable human spirit. 

Muffy’s athletic journey is marked by her participation in both the Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. She first made her mark in the Winter Paralympics, earning three silver medals in alpine skiing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Her passion for competition and dedication to excellence didn’t stop there. Embracing new challenges, Muffy transitioned to handcycling, competing in the Summer Paralympics. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, her determination and hard work paid off spectacularly. She secured three gold medals in handcycling, showcasing her versatility and unmatched perseverance. Her victories highlighted her exceptional athletic ability and her unwavering spirit in the face of challenge. 

Beyond her athletic achievements, Muffy is a vocal advocate for people with disabilities, working tirelessly to promote accessibility, inclusion, and adaptive sports. In her hometown of Sun Valley, she has been a pillar of the community, actively engaging in initiatives to support and inspire young athletes. Her dedication to public service is further demonstrated by her position in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2018 to 2021, where she championed issues close to her heart, including health, education, and disability rights. 

Muffy’s story is a powerful testament to overcoming obstacles and redefining possibilities. Her legacy serves as a shining example of the indomitable human spirit, making her a true hero celebrated in the Summer Games | Local Heroes exhibit.  

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Dick Fosbury
Track & Field | Mexico City 1968 

When you reach that elite level, 90 percent is mental and 10 percent is physical. You are competing against yourself. ~Dick Fosbury

Dick Fosbury etched his name in Olympic history at the Mexico City games with his famous “Fosbury Flop.” This groundbreaking technique won him the gold medal and revolutionized the sport of high jumping.  

Approaching in a curved path, Dick led with his head and shoulders, arched his back, and flew backwards over the bar with his torso and legs following. This technique lowered his center of gravity and allowed him to clear greater heights than ever seen before. 

He captured the world’s attention in Mexico City by clearing 2.24 meters (7 feet 4.25 inches) and setting a new Olympic record. Since then, the Fosbury Flop has become the “gold standard” for athletes worldwide. 

Beyond his Olympic triumph, Dick remained a cherished member of the Sun Valley community. Born in Portland, Oregon, Fosbury visited Sun Valley for the first time in 1973 while attending Oregon State University. He returned to Sun Valley for the long term in 1977 and soon after co-founded Galena Engineering.

As a resident in the Valley for over 40 years, Dick was deeply involved in the community. This included working 25 years as an engineer for the City of Ketchum, five years as a Commissioner for Blaine County, and many years coaching track and field athletes at Wood River High School.

Dick’s story and legacy exemplify the spirit of Summer Games | Local Heroes, celebrating those who inspire through extraordinary feats and community spirit.  

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Georgia Gould
Cycling | London 2012 

An Olympic medal of any color has the power to inspire. I’ve finished third place in a lot of races that no one cares about, but Olympic bronze is different. ~Georgia Gould

Georgia is an American professional mountain bike and cyclocross racer. In the 2012 London Olympics, she won a bronze medal in cycling. Her event was the Cross-Country Mountain Bike. 

Leading up to the Olympic bronze, Georgia earned five national championships. Four of them were in cross-country mountain biking. The fifth was in short-track mountain biking. 

Georgia has earned five career national championships – four in cross-country mountain biking – 2006, 2010, 2011, and 2012 – and one in short track mountain biking in 2009.

Georgia_Gould

From 2006 through 2016, Gould rode professionally for the LUNA Pro Team. She was a resident of Ketchum, Idaho in 1999, and currently lives in Vermont. Gould credits her time in Ketchum as the place where she got her start as a mountain bike racer.   

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Adrienne Lyle
Equestrian | London 2012 , Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024

One of my favorite sayings is: When a rider stands on a podium, they never stand alone. ~Adrienne Lyle

Adrienne Lyle took her love for horses to the highest levels of dressage competition. She earned a berth at the Olympic Games in London riding Wizard and won a silver medal at the Tokyo games in team dressage riding Salvino. Adrienne recently qualified to ride in the Paris Olympics, where she will ride a horse named Helix. 

Adrienne’s start with equestrian sports began with the U.S. Pony Club and continued to Grand Prix Dressage— the highest level of competition. In 2006, she moved to the Wood River Valley to train full-time with fellow Olympian Debbie McDonald. The pair trained together for many years at the River Grove Farms in Hailey, Idaho.  

Adrienne Lyle

Originally from Whidbey Island, Washington, Adrienne spent much of her youth in the Wood River Valley, attending Hemingway Elementary. In 2006, Adrienne moved to the Wood River Valley full-time to train with Olympian Debbie McDonald at River Grove Ranch, owned by retired banker E. Parry Thomas and his wife Peggy. Debbie, known as the “First Lady of American Dressage,” is also a dressage Olympian, riding in the 2002 Athens and 2008 Beijing games.

Adrienne’s decision to train in the Wood River Valley and much hard work paid off. At age 38, Adrienne is currently among the most elite riders in the dressage world with numerous accolades and victories to her name.  

Adrienne and her husband David are now parents to Bailey, a daughter born in September 2023.  Adrienne currently runs a full-time training business out of Kylee Lourie’s TYL Farm in Wellington, Florida, and Colorado.  

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Ruthie Matthes 
Cycling | Sydney 2000 

My first licensed race was to qualify for Junior Nationals. I placed second out of two girls. That fired me up to go faster and be better. ~Ruthie Matthes

Ruthie Matthes, a Sun Valley native, grew up skiing on Bald Mountain. When she saw Jean Claude Killy win three gold medals at the 1968 Olympics, she decided then and there to be an Olympic skier.

In 1983, her ski coach suggested she join the local cycling club for dry land training in the summer. She hopped on a bike and never looked back.  

In 1990, she traded her slick road bike tires for “knobbies” and won the World Mountain Bike Championship merely a year later. 

Ruthie’s accolades include three National Road Championships, a silver medal at the World Road Race Championships, and a collection of gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Mountain Bike World Championships and Mountain Bike World Cup. She was inducted to the U.S. Cycling Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Ruthie Matthes

Debbie McDonald
Equestrian | Athens 2004, Beijing 2008

You have to put the effort in if you expect to get the effort out. ~Debbie McDonald

Debbie McDonald is known as the “First Lady of American Dressage” for good reason. She has has participated as rider, trainer, and coach at the most prestigious Grand Prix levels of dressage, including participation in two Olympic Games.  

At the Athens games in 2004, she won the Bronze medal on Bretina, a horse she trained at the River Grove Farms in Hailey, Idaho. Bretina passed in 2021 at 30 years of age but is memorialized in a sculpture that remains in the Wood River Valley. She is recognized as one the greatest American dressage horses of all time. 

Debbie returned to Olympics in 2008 to compete at the Beijing Olympics, and has gone on to coach fellow Olympic medalist Adrienne Lyle and other elite dressage riders. Her work continues at the Paris 2024 games where her expertise will be a key ingredient in Team USA’s efforts. 

Photo: Susan J Stickle

Debbie’s success has been repeated through her work as a dressage coach. She has guided three athletes and their horses to the Olympics, including fellow dressage Olympian Adrienne Lyle. Debbie trained Adrienne at the world-renowned Hailey horse facility, River Grove Farm, founded by retired banker E. Parry Thomas, who was involved in dressage until his passing in 2016. 

Debbie and her husband, Bob, the long-time manager at River Grove Farm, still reside in Hailey, Idaho. They continue to develop riders and horses at elite levels. Debbie is a technical advisor to Adrienne Lyle and her horse “Helix” in the 2024 Paris Olympics.  

As both rider and owner, Debbie’s love for horses is a remarkable story. Her father said they could afford to buy a pony, but not to keep it – so Debbie did a deal with a local barn: She would muck stalls to pay for accommodation. She met her husband, Bob, at the stables, and the couple remain active in equestrian pursuits to the present. 

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Greg Randolph 
Cycling | Atlanta 1996 

People get so caught up in everything other than the real experience. ~Greg Randolph

Greg Randolph competed in the cycling road race during the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. His role on the U.S. Olympic team included support as a “domestique,” the rider who works for the benefit of the lead rider. He has also raced mountain biking professionally, making him one of the most skilled riders who crossed between road cycling and mountain biking. 

His rise to the top ranks of professional cycling was quick. Upon winning the National Time Trial in 1996, he caught the eye of U.S. Cycling coaches. He was offered a position on the team and not long thereafter was selected for the U.S. Olympic squad. Greg’s strengths as a rider helped support Lance Armstrong in his second Olympic bid. 

Greg-Randolph

Greg grew up in McCall, Idaho, where he rode BMX and mountain bikes as a kid. He was inspired to try road cycling by the superstar American cyclist, Greg LeMond. While attending the University of Idaho, some buddies asked him to join them on a road ride, offering him a bike. Traveling in his 1979 VW van around the U.S. cycling circuit as an amateur, he began his racing as an amateur in the 1993. 

Following the Olympics, Greg pursued the European race circuit, which he ultimately walked away from. He decided to move to Colorado where he guided backcountry hut trips and enjoyed fishing, hunting, and riding without the pressures of professional cycling.  

In 2003, Greg was offered a position with Smith Optics in Ketchum. This job was a paycheck that got him back to Idaho. Now Greg and his wife call the Wood River home, and he works as the V.P. of Marketing at Decked. They have four children. 

Affectionately, Greg is known as “Chopper” after his once infamous sideburns, he has written columns in Bike magazine called “Ask Chopper” offering practical advice on cycling. 

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Chris Spelius
Kayaking | Los Angeles 1984

We achieve an exquisite balance with nature and within ourselves. With this balance comes responsibility. ~Chris Spelius

Kayaker Chris Spelius competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic on the U.S. Canoeing team, which finished fourth in the 1000-meter Kayak Fours. At age 32, Chris was the oldest member of the team. 

Chris has been named one of the “Legends in Paddling” by Paddling magazine, and was the first kayaker to descend the Niagara Gorge, beneath Niagara Falls. He achieved numerous first descents in Chile as well.  

After the 1984 Olympics, Chris taught kayaking in North Carolina for two years. In 1986 he moved to Chile, where he taught paddling and worked as a river guide on the Futaleufu River (‘the Fu’).

Chris Spelius

He has gone on to coach on a grant from the International Olympic Committee and helps to develop kayaking as an Olympic sport in Chile. 

His adventurous spirit and love for rivers began with a family trip down the Missouri River. He later guided rafts on the Colorado River while attending the University of Utah in the mid 70s before proceeding to his competitive kayaking career.

More recently, Chris has been involved in conservation efforts to protect free-flowing rivers. He has spoken globally on the importance of environmental protection of the world’s rivers. He and his wife split their time between Idaho and Chile, where they operate Expediciones Chile, which has been offering adventure trips on ‘the Fu’ for over 30 years. He has also represented Dagger as a professional kayaker. 

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Rod Strachan
Swimming | Montreal 1976

In the final competition in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, at the high point of his athletic career, he took the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley event, while setting a new world record of 4:23.68. For two years, he retained the long course world record in the 400-meter individual medley, which he set in the Olympics from July 1976 to August 1978.

At USC, Strachan swam for Hall of Fame Coach Peter Daland, an outstanding swimming mentor. The Trojans won the NCAA Championship during Strachan’s attendance from 1974-1977, and he won his signature medley event in 1976-1977 in record time.

Rod Strachan swimming

At the NCAA Championships in Cleveland on March 25, 1977, as a USC Senior, Strachan won the 400-yard Individual Medley with an NCAA record time of 3:54.76, and though the time was under the existing American record, it was disallowed as the new American record because of a technicality. With a powerful team, that included Steve Furniss and John Naber, USC won the NCAA championship that year.

At USC, Strachan also earned a 3.96 grade point average as a pre-med student, gaining him acceptance to medical school at Southern Cal where he became a doctor, with internal medicine as his specialty. Source: Wikipedia

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Dara Torres
Swimming | Los Angeles 1984, South Korea 1988, Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008

The water does not know how old you are. ~Dara Torres

Dara Torres is the most decorated U.S. female Olympic athlete of all-time. She has represented the United States in five Olympic games and, at age 41, is the oldest swimmer to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team. She first went to the Olympics games in Los Angeles in 1984 at age 16, winning a gold medal as part of the 4×100 Freestyle Relay. She would go on to compete in Seoul, Barcelona, Sydney, and Beijing, earning 12 Olympic medals. 

Dara was never someone that competed for the accolades. She was driven by the challenge of doing what no one else has ever done. She continues to encourage involvement in swimming and promotes the benefits of life-long fitness. She is an author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and mother – and recently accepted a position to coach swimming at Boston University. 

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Dara Torres

Opening Reception 2024 – Summer Games | Local Heroes

The Community Library and Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History are hosted an Opening Reception Tuesday, July 9, 4pm-6pm to honor the achievements of local athletes who participated in the Olympic Summer Games. The new exhibit, “Summer Games | Local Heroes,” will be on display in the Library’s Foyer from July 6 through Labor Day, 2024.

Light refreshments were served at the opening reception, with comments from Library staff … and some surprise guests from among the athletes!

The Olympians being honored in Summer Games | Local Heroes are:

Summer Games | Local Heroes also leads into the Library’s annual open house event, Book around the Block! Thursday, August 15, 2024. The whole family enjoys events with Olympic themes at the Library, Wood River Museum, and Gold Mine Thrift and Consign. We’re going to “Book around the Block” for literacy, history, shopping, community, food, and fun, with activities for all ages.

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Winter Read: “The Great Gatsby”

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Library Foyer Exhibit
January – June 2024

“Stocks reached record peaks, and Wall Street boomed a steady golden roar. The parties were bigger, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the ban on alcohol had backfired, making the liquor cheaper.” ~Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby

Great Gatsby for webpage 755

Every winter, we read a story together. Set in the Jazz Age a hundred years ago, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby explores themes of class and wealth, industrialization and change. Artifacts in this exhibit showcase items and clothing from this period of extravagance.

Roaring 20s Great Gatsby Foyer Exhibit LR

Having survived WWI and the Influenza Epidemic, Americans were in a mood to have fun! The development of the car, the spread of news at a faster pace, illegal liquor establishments, and prosperous times set new trends.

Punchbowl set Foyer Great Gatsby LR

This Gorham silver punch bowl set brings one into the opulent world of the Roaring Twenties. Founded in 1831, Gorham has long been synonymous with quality silverware, and this set, with its monogrammed bowl and cups bearing the initials “JBMC,” captures the spirit of an age marked by lavish parties and celebrations. More here.

These Armed Services Editions were designed to fit into pockets and packs and were read and re-read by servicemen from Okinawa to Berlin—helping to restore in them a sense of humanity in a broken world. It was the Armed Services Edition that elevated The Great Gatsby from obscurity to one of the most widely read and revered novels of all time.

Federal Telephone

Step back in time to the exhilarating era of the Roaring Twenties with our latest museum collection highlight, a historic relic from the period between 1908 and 1920. This Federal Telephone produced in Buffalo, New York is an exquisite piece that not only showcases the technological marvels of its time but also resonates with the essence of The Great Gatsby and the pursuit of the American Dream. More here.

Embark on a sartorial journey to the 1920s with this men’s wool flat cap from the Italian brand Conte of Florence (far left). Though this brand emerged in the 1950s, the cream-colored cap pays homage to the timeless fashion of the Roaring Twenties, where style and sophistication were synonymous with the pursuit of the American Dream.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Born in Minnesota in 1896, Fitzgerald is celebrated for his novels of the 1920s Jazz Age. He published four novels and 164 short stories during his life, but received the most acclaim after his death in 1940. He and wife Zelda were known around the world for their glamourous if ill-fated lifestyles. Of Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway said, “[His] talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly’s wings.” Fitzgerald died believing his life was a failure and his works forgotten. 

F Scott Fitzgerald 1927 LR

Reel Legends

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Fly-fisherwomen of the Wood River Valley

Library Foyer Exhibit
January-April 2022
Part of the 2022 Winter Read

“A river, though, has so many things to say that it is hard to know what is says to each of us.” ~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Reel Legends Exhibit
Photo Left: Amanda Bauman. Photo by Hillary Mayberry

  

To an angler, each bend in the river reveals new riffles and pools, glimmering with hope. The pebbles and rocks underfoot are more than a complex geology. They are pockets of opportunity. An emergence of insects near the bank becomes a call to rise as hardly perceptible rings hint of feeding trout.  

When we step into the river to fly-fish, we become one with this natural flow, reading water like an ever changing book.  With senses attuned, we cast the fly line back and forth above the water before settling it in just the spot we aimed for. A perfect cast is an act of grace.  

Is it any wonder that women have joined the legions of those who are called to water in this wonderous ritual that is fly-fishing?  Through word, object, and image, this exhibit celebrates four Wood River Valley Women who have earned the badge of Reel Legends on our local waters.  

  • Amamda Bauman is an elementary school teacher at The Community School and spends her summers working as a fly-fishing guide.  
  • Morgan Buckert has worked for almost two decades in recreation and conservation in the Wood River Valley.   
  • Juliette Guiterrez lives steps from the river in Ketchum and might be found styling hair in the morning and casting a fly on the Big Wood that evening.  
  • Susanne Connor once flew gliders over the Valley and now guides fly-fishing year around and co-operates a local outfitter. 

In March of 2022, the Library hosted a screening of The Rocky Mountain Fly Highway (2014), followed by a Panel Discussion with the Reel Legends—four fly-fisherwomen of the Wood River Valley, whose fishing lives were featured in the Library’s foyer exhibit as part of the 2022 Winter Read.

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The Wide Eye Productions Film, narrated by Emmy Award-winning actor Tom Skerritt, follows a 500-mile stretch of Highway 20 from Wyoming and Montana, across Idaho and into Oregon, as it connects the West’s most renowned blue-ribbon trout streams. More/link to watch on Vimeo here:
“Rocky Mountain Fly Highway” Film Screening & Reel Legends Panel Discussion

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