The following are excerpts from a series of articles by Marcia Granville which originally appeared in the Somerset Gazette between late 1999 and early 2001.

Any time you step into Skowhegan’s Free Public Library, you will find People reading, taking out books or sitting at the computers searching the Internet, sending e-mail or doing homework. Upstairs in the Children’s Library, there is the Wednesday morning story and craft hour as well as computers with learning programs and games for the very young.
Aside from the traditional uses, the library is becoming a center for discussion groups. Starting October 4, a book discussion group will meet on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m.. At the first meeting, everyone talked about the books they had read during the summer. It was decided not to read particular books for each meeting but to have a monthly theme. In this way, everyone reads something to his or her own taste and needn’t purchase books they don’t want. For November, the theme is the Civil War. Participants in the discussion group may read anything they wish from straight historical accounts to biographies of Civil War officers to poetry, to romantic fiction based in the Civil War period, Anyone wishing to join the group is welcome.
...................................................................................
Friends of the Skowhegan Free Public Library meet on alternate months from September through May with the Executive Board holding its meetings during the other months. On September 8th, the Friends were treated to readings of her children’s books by Lynne Plourde, Pigs in the Mud, Wild Child and Moose of Course. All of the children in the audience, youngsters as well as their parents, were invited to participate in acting out parts of the stories. Everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Ms. Plourde has a knack for bringing out the child in all of us.
...................................................................................
Do wish you knew how to get on the Internet with your computer? The Friends of the Skowhegan Public Library and the Kennebec Valley Computer Society are just finishing the second series of free classes. The classes include: Computer Basics, the Windows 95/98 Operating System, the Internet and Resources Available Online. Classes meet on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 p. m. To sign up for the next series call Jim Foster at 474-25 89 or send e-mail to j foster@somtel. com.
Upstairs in the Children’s Library, a campaign is under way to up-grade the Dr. Seuss collection. A tree stands in the coat room bearing tags showing a title each of the 48 books written by Dr. Seuss. A library patron or friend chooses a title and purchases the book either through the library or from Mr. Paperback (at a 20% discount). Lists are being kept to avoid duplication of effort. Jim foster has designed a bookplate for the donor’s name and any dedications chosen by the donor.
Representatives from the Friends of the Library, the Bloomfield Trustees and architect Sylvanus Doughty will meet soon to discuss how the building may better meet the needs of the community. Ideas to be incorporated are handicap accessibility (an elevator?) and the use of the large (empty) basement rooms as well as general modernization of the facility while maintaining the unique atmosphere. The combined group hopes to present a drawing of planned renovations in the near future.
With so many discussion groups and educational activities going on, it can be truly said that the Skowhegan Free Public Library is an asset to the Town of Skowhegan.

On the evening of Friday, October 22, the play “Murder at Tranquillity Falls” was presented to a large audience. The function room of the Centenary United Methodist Church was filled to see ten of Skowhegan’s best known people act in the mystery comedy. Play goers were repaid with two hours of laughter and fun. There were door prizes during the intermission as well as generous servings of home made pie. The grand prize was awarded to the person who guessed “who done it”.
The cast did a superb job. Sally and Buster Bickerson were hilariously acted by Veronica Wright and Butch Asselin. Mark Tanner portrayed the womanizing FBI Agent, Sherlock Jones, with a comedic flair. Lynda Quinn made a formidable Dolly Merriweather, and Herb Paradis brought many laughs in his character as the hard-of- hearing Sam Young. Janet and Mickey Powers were very convincing and funny as the talkative genealogist and the over-cautious lawyer. Robin Lishemess did a great job as the self-important Dr. Ichabod Paine. Judith Bascom was wonderful as the herbalist, Tansy Greene. Mary Stuart added to the fun by adding body language to the part of Stella Macintosh, secretary to the mayor. Without saying a word, she appeared a “dumb blonde” smitten with the charms of Lawyer Larry Wright.
The authors of the play, Corrilla Hastings and Marcia Granville were gratified by the great acting of the cast and the laughter of the audience. Their play was a smash hit. When the proceeds were counted, it was found that they had $1723. 00 to add to the Skowhegan Public Library Renovation Fund. This more than doubled the original goal of the fund-raiser.
”Murder at Tranquillity Falls“ was taped by CATV 16 and will appear on the Madison Channel. CATV 16 will make copies of the tape available to the public at the price of $10.00. $5.00 of each sale will be added to the Renovation Fund.
The success of the evenings efforts was due to the generosity of a whole community pulling together. The Centenary United Methodist Church donated the use of their function room. The actors gave their time and talent to the play. Linda Powell organized the kitchen and dessert detail. Many, many ladies baked pies or cheesecakes for dessert during the intermission.
Skowhegan Town Office and the Chamber of Commerce advertised the play on their signs. The Town Office also printed scripts and programs. Paper Klip donated paper for the posters and tickets as well as printing them. There were ticket sellers, ticket takers and ushers as well as children to draw the door prizes. Maxine Russakoff generously agreed to be Hostess for the evening.
Corrilla Hastings found the idea for the fund-raiser in a publication from the Maine State Library. She and Marcia Granville spent most of the summer writing and rewriting the script with critique and imput from Lee Granville and Maxine Russakoff. However, they kept the third act a deep dark secret. Not even the actors knew “who done it.” They were handed their scripts when they were all on stage ready for the final act. ...

[An equally successful sequel was presented a year later in 2000.]

Nearly two years ago, concerned citizens met to learn how the Skowhegan Free Public Library’s services could be expanded and up-dated. Anne Davis, Gardiner’s Library Director, was the guest speaker that evening, explaining the steps Gardiner had taken in a similar situation. Her talk included the fact that the buildings in Gardiner and in Skowhegan were similar in size and design, both built in the late 1800s. Gardiner was implementing new programs and utilizing modem technology with the goal of keeping the warm ambiance of the local library.
From the meeting on the 27th of February in 1998, came the formation of the Friends of the Skowhegan Free Public Library. This is a chapter of Friends of Maine Libraries, a statewide organization. The first step they took was to conduct a public survey of the wants and needs of the library users. When the results came in and were tabulated, it was found that handicap accessibility was high on the list, followed by Internet accessibility and expanded Children’s Library hours and programs.
Two of these stated goals have been accomplished. The generosity of a company up-grading their own resources has resulted in the gift of several computers. They were installed and connected to the Internet through volunteer labor from several townspeople. Jeff Hewett and Jim Foster are generous with their help in keeping them running. In order to help people understand the workings of the Internet, a series of free lessons, under the sponsorship of the Kennebec Valley Computer Society, has been repeated several times. ...
Children’s library hours were expanded last year. Now the programs have been doubled. Instead of just one story and craft hour each week of the school year, there are two. Preschool children may come in on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. or on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. when they may be accompanied by their older brothers and sisters. There are also special events at holiday time. ...
The problem of handicap accessibility is more complex than the other two, requiring the services of a qualified architect. Not only must users be able to get up the steps into the library, but the children and their parents must be able to get to the second story. Currently, use of the mezzanine is severely restricted because of the narrow, winding stairs. An elevator may be the only way to address all these problems.
....................................................................................
Architect Sylvanus Doughty, whose specialty is older buildings, was asked to inspect the local Library. He was delighted to find that our historic building had not been “remuddled” with modern items out of keeping with the nature of the building. Mr. Doughty is noted for the way he incorporates up-to-code features in old structures without destroying their beauty and he is currently in the process of working out a plan for the Skowhegan Library.
Although the structure of the building is basically sound, there are some problems. The windows upstairs in the Children’s Library do not keep out the cold air very well. The casings and frames are showing signs of rot. Also, natural daylight was restricted, since many of them were overgrown with ivy. After consultation with the architect, members of the Library Board of Trustees and others, it was decided to remove the ivy.
While ivy covered halls may be a romantic ideal, they sometimes aren’t very practical. Boston ivy, which until recently covered the facade of Skowhegan’s Free Public Library, has a tendency to destroy buildings. The vine’s suckers actually exude a liquid which etches a toe-hold in the mortar between bricks. While climbing up the walls, Boston ivy eats away at the very walls upon which it is suspended. This was certainly true in Skowhegan. Many of the bricks just under the roof line are so loose they can be removed by hand. This may also explain why the windows are rotting. Without the mortar, rain can work its way into the building.
When the removal of the ivy was reported to Mr. Doughty, he asked, “What are you going to do about the lilacs?” These hardy shrubs had been growing in front of the library for several decades. Unpruned, they had reached a tremendous height, obscuring the beautiful stained glass windows, the bottoms of which are six feet from the ground. Once again, a number of people were consulted, including Librarian Helen Shaw.
Then a volunteer crew was assembled; Charles Bolstridge, Bill Laney and James Hastings and, from the Library Board of Trustees, Rick Anzelc. They met at the library one Tuesday morning and pruned the lilacs back. Charles Bolstridge manned the saw while Jim pointed out the growth which needed to be removed. Rick Anzelc and others raked debris away from the building until it was time to pile the branches into Bill’s truck to be hauled away.
Through the joint effort a great deal was accomplished. Several groups were involved: the Friends of the Library, the Board of Trustees and the general public.
....................................................................................
All the old, woody stems were removed leaving only the younger shoots or canes behind. These were trimmed to a height of approximately six feet for optimum results. Being done late in the year means that the buds already formed were cut away. It may even be that there will be a lapse of two or three years before we see many lilac blossoms in front of the library. But the shrubs will blossom again, and properly maintained, will put on a beautiful show every year thereafter.
Now that the Ivy has been removed and the basic building may be seen, it is possible to make an accurate assessment of its structural needs. The architect and his crew are in the process of measuring and figuring the best way to meet today’s standards in regards to accessibility and safety. As soon as the plans for the physical plant are ready, a joint effort will be needed to complete one project at a time until the job is accomplished. Not only the Friends of the Library and the Board of Trustees will be involved. The scope of the work will include the citizens of the greater Skowhegan area as well. Grants will be written and ftuid-raising events will be under way soon.
In the meantime, progress has already been made in other areas. As mentioned before, the childreds programs have been expanded and computers installed. A generous public has responded to the Dr. Seuss campaign resulting in a new collection for the Childreds Library. Other additions to the resources available include a brand spanking new Encyclopedia Brittanica and a collection books on tape.
Less than two years ago, concerned citizens met to see what they could do about their aging facility. Much has been accomplished in a short time and much more is planned. The future of the Skowhegan Free Public Library is looking good.

The first stage of the Skowhegan Free Public Library Window Project is nearing completion. All of the ground floor windows plus the three worst of those on the second story are being restored to their original condition. In close consultation with architect, Sylvanus Doughty, Steve Dionne of Dionne and Sons is working to make the windows look and work the same way they did when they were installed in 1889.
The original sash counterweight systems have been mended. The old, broken and loose putty has been scraped away and replaced. Any defects in the wood of the windows and the casements have been repaired. Each window frame is being refinished with black paint on the outside, natural wood on the inside. Even the wall above the three second-story windows has been repainted. As the windows are being replaced, state of the art weather stripping is being installed.
The magnificent stained glass windows in the reading room and over the front door are also scheduled for repair. Close inspection shows that the design of the large window in the reading room is warping out of place. One small piece is missing altogether. Fred Tenenbaum of Canaan has been hired for the intricate and painstaking job of restoration. He has started with the smaller stained glass portions of the other reading room windows.
These windows have an interesting background. They are called Belcher glass and were made using a unique process. Unlike most stained glass, there are no channels to hold the lead in place. Instead, several toxic materials were used in addition to the lead, including mercury and arsenic. (The poisonous nature of the process may be the reason why the Belcher Company didn’t remain in business very long.)
It will take several months to complete the repairs on the larger window. It will be laid on a flat surface so that gravity may help to even out the distortions. In the meantime, all these window have been evaluated and fully insured for the length of the job.
Nearly all the ground floor windows, with the exception of the stained glass, have been repaired and replaced. The three second-story windows are back in place.... Unfortunately, when this phase of the job is finished, the money will be all gone. There are still many windows in the Children’s Library, as well as all those in the tower and in the basement, which need to be restored.
A New Century Grant for $20,000 was awarded to the library and was matched by the Trustees for a total of $40,000. A further amount was allocated for the repair of the stained glass. To finish the windows, about another $40,000 will be needed....
For this reason, the Friends of the Skowhegan Free Public Library have started a new fund-raising scheme. Small pictures of a library window are being sold in downtown stores for the price of one dollar each. Each one states, ”I helped fund the library window project.“ Each merchant carrying them will display brightly colored posters explaining the fund-raiser. The pictures are also available at the library. ...