Advance Community Library anniversary kicks off with concert

SCOTT SLINKARD photo Todd Mayberry welcomes the audience to the opening of the new Advance Community Library on June 26, 2004. Mayberry was the first president for the young library.

The Advance Community Library will be kicking off a year-long celebration of their 10-year anniversary with a music concert on Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Eagles' Club on Highway C west of Advance.

Music will be provided by the band "Human Zoo," a popular local rock band, consisting of Todd Mayberry, Andy French, Youn Gonzales, Josh Boyd, and Scott Slinkard.

"Actually, this event is connected to the history of the library," Library President Cara Mayberry explained. "The Eagles contributed to our very first fund-raising drive back in 2004, when we established the library."

SCOTT SLINKARD photo Missouri State Librarian Sara Parker speaks before a good-sized crowd at the grand opening of Advance's first library on June 26, 2004. Parker traveled from Jefferson City for the celebration.

The band has another important connection as well. Band member Todd Mayberry was the first president of the Advance Community Library Board of Trustees. Mayberry, a volunteer member of the original 2003 Advance Community Team (ACT), wrote the software program which allowed the new library to put all its listings on the computer. Many older libraries still use the old card catalog system.

The June 26, 2004 opening of the Advance Library was marked with a grand opening on the lawn in front of the building on Highway C beside the old gym. Todd Mayberry gave the opening speech, and Missouri State Librarian Sarah Parker welcomed the new library to the list of state libraries. Mayor James J. Harnes, Sr. was also among the dignitaries, as the founder of the ACT.

"I remember how proud Mayor Harnes was of our new library," said Diane Reeves, a member of the original board of directors. "He had been challenged by the mayor of Puxico, Peter Coutavas, to establish a library for Advance. Mayor Coutavas had said, 'What? Advance doesn't have a library?! Every civilized community has a library!' The Puxico mayor's remark prompted our own mayor to promote a library for the first time since the old Wednesday Study Club back in the 40's and 50's."

Reeves, along with several other volunteers, began the grueling work of sorting through donated books from the Book Bug, when it closed its doors in Cape Girardeau. Truckloads of books arrived in Advance and were stored in the old VFW building, which had been donated to the City of Advance.

The lack of funding to retro-fit the VFW building was resolved, when Superintendent of Schools Mike Redman offered an unused room in the R-IV Administration building.

The library is still located in that facility next to the old gym. In 2008, Teresa Jansen and other board members wrote a Gates grant and received 5 new computers. The current library has 8 computers and an automated check-out system written by Todd Mayberry. Most of the old books have gradually been replaced with new ones.

SCOTT SLINKARD photo The Advance Community Library opened its doors to the public in a room donated by the Advance R-IV Schools in 2004. The library began with donated books and three patron computers. Volunteers worked for six months to pull the project together.

Money from the upcoming Eagles' concert will be used to replace the three 10-year-old patron computers that the library began with in 2004.

Many child-friendly activities are planned for the library's anniversary date of Saturday, June 21, 2014. There will be outdoor games in the lot beside the library, food, and prizes. In keeping with the library's goals, guests will be invited to read to children inside the library.

Other fun activities are being planned for the rest of the year, so the celebration will be a year-long affair.