Eckels Memorial Library

06/01/2026

Get out and support local!

06/01/2026

https://a.co/06FRyETP

📚🎉 SUMMER READING NUMBERS ARE IN… AND WOW! 🎉📚

You all showed up in a BIG way! We currently have:

🌟 25 PreK–Kindergarten readers
🌟 41 1st–2nd Grade readers
🌟 31 3rd–5th Grade readers
🌟 26 6th–12th Grade readers

That’s a total of 123 young readers ready to spend their summer reading, learning, and growing! ❤️📖

Now… we need YOUR help! 🫶

We have some amazing prizes already donated, but with these incredible registration numbers, we could use a few more prize donations to help keep our readers motivated all summer long.

🎁 Current Prize Counts:
📚 PreK–K: 38 prizes
📚 1st–2nd Grade: 23 prizes
📚 3rd–5th Grade: 38 prizes
📚 6th–12th Grade: 24 prizes

Whether it’s a small toy, gift card, book, stuffed animal, activity kit, or monetary donation, every contribution helps make Summer Reading extra special for our kids.

This program is only successful because of our amazing community. Every year you prove that it truly takes a village, and we are so grateful for your continued support of our young readers. ❤️

If you’d like to donate a prize or sponsor a reader, stop by the library, send us a message, or contact us directly!

📖✨ Let’s make this our biggest and best Summer Reading Program yet! ✨📖

06/01/2026

🇺🇸📚 RED, WHITE & READ! 📚🇺🇸

We’ve got not ONE, but TWO adorable 4th of July book shirts available this month! ❤️🤍💙

Want one? It’s easy!

👇 Comment below with:
📖 Shirt A or Shirt B
📏 Your size and what brand you want
✔️💰 if you’ve already sent Lisa your Venmo payment

👕 Shirt Prices:
Gildan — $22
Bella Canvas — $25
2XL and up — add $5 per shirt

💵 Prefer cash? No problem! Cash payments can be dropped off at the library.

⏰ Orders are due by June 10th, so don’t wait too long!

These shirts are perfect for celebrating Independence Day, showing your love of reading, and supporting your library all at the same time! 🇺🇸📚

Ready, set, order! Which one is your favorite — A o

05/30/2026

DATE CHANGE!!! I didn’t realize it was Memorial Day Weekend and lots of people will be out of town! Let’s postpone this meeting for one week! See you on May 30th!!!

🎆WE NEED YOU!!!🎆

The Fourth of July celebration is coming together, but we need more committee members to help make this year amazing for our community!

⭐️🇺🇸THE MORE HANDS, THE LESS WORK⭐️🇺🇸

🗓️PLANNING MEETING

Saturday, May 30th
⏰10:00am
📍Eckels Library

We are looking for volunteers, willing to help organize different events and activities for the Fourth of July celebration. Below is a list of events in needing leaders and committee members.

⭐️🇺🇸⭐️Join us and bring your ideas, your energy, and your community spirit! Together, we can make this year celebration one remember! 🇺🇸⭐️🇺🇸

🥎 Slow Pitch Softball Tournament Coordinator

🗑️ Trash & Clean Up Team

🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️ Kids Bike Parade Coordinator

📣 Parade Announcers

🌽🕳️Cornhole Tournament Coordinator- Adult and Youth times

🎯🎳 Family Games Coordinator- We have all the games just need someone to help run the event. I do have some prizes you could hand out.

🦘🦘 Bounce House? Anyone interested in renting or know where to get the bounce house for the kids to play on? Would need a coordinator for this.

💦 💦 Water Events Coordinator- We will need to wait until closer to the 4th to see if the City of Oakland will allow us to use water due to the water levels and restrictions. I would like to be ready just in case we are allowed to have water.

💦🌊DUNK TANK COORDINATOR - If we are allowed water, we will need someone to help get “local celebrities “ to sign up to be in the dunk tank.

👩‍⚕️🩹🤕Nurses Station- Looking for someone to coordinate at first aid tent where bandaids, ice packs, water, and general first aid supplies for accidents.

🐴🐴 PONY RIDE COORDINATOR- looking for someone to coordinate and fund pony rides if possible. Have ideas? Let me know.

THANK YOU Riverside Mechanical & Johnson innovations for the donation for the foam party!!

THANK YOU TiNik & DQ for the Sponsoring the Face Painting and Balloon Twisting!!

THANK YOU Schueman Transfer for the large donation for the band!!!!

THANK YOU Williams Ag for your donation!!!

🫧🫧Foam Party - THANK YOU ECKELS LIBRARY FOR TAKING THIS ON!!

🏎️🚙🚑🚜 Parade Coordinator- THANK YOU JT OLTMAN FOR TAKING THIS ROLE!!! Also, THANK YOU JT FOR OFFERING YOUR RIDES AGAIN THIS YEAR!!! WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU!!!!

More ideas are welcome and we can’t wait to hear from you!! Can’t make the meeting on the 23rd? Stop in or email me at [email protected]

05/28/2026

YIKES… WHOOHOO… but also YIKES!!! 🔥📚🧠
There are SO many flames in the fire this summer at the library — but they are all such exciting ones!!

We are incredibly excited and grateful to announce that we were awarded BOTH the Dollar General Family Literacy Grant AND the Pottawattamie Community Foundation Grant for our STEM Family Play & Learning Room!

These grants will allow us to add even more valuable hands-on learning resources and rotate activity centers more often so things continue to feel fresh, exciting, and engaging for our student patrons.

One thing we noticed this past year was how often older siblings were jumping in to help younger siblings explore and learn together. Because of that, we will also be adding more materials and activities geared toward older students so EVERY age group has opportunities to explore, create, discover, and learn while visiting the room. 💡🧩🔬

We are beyond thankful for the support that allows us to continue growing this space into something truly special for families in our community. We cannot wait to show you all the fun things coming soon to the Eckels Memorial Library STEM Family Play & Learning Room! 💙

Stay tuned for more pictures, updates, and details as we begin purchasing materials and transforming the space! 👀✨

ALSO — if there is something your family absolutely LOVES, let us know!!! We truly value feedback from our patrons and love hearing what makes your kids excited to learn and play. 🫶🏻

05/28/2026

📢Ok you’ve been asking and we finally listened!!📢

Starting June 1st through July 31st we are doing an Adult Summer Reading Challenge!

Rules are simple!

📚All books must be checked out from the library, Libby or Hoopla.

🛑You must be signed up to be eligible for a prize. Stop by the library and sign up at any time between now and the end of the challenge! Print off the list or ask for one.

📸🤳You must take a picture or selfie completing the challenge items-be creative!. (This will make you Eckels famous😉)

You can interpret the challenges to make them unique! But you will need to explain 😁

Each challenge is separate-you can not read a red book to a pet and a kid at the park under a tree by flashlight!

Completed forms ‼️MUST ‼️be dropped off/emailed by August 3rd. Pictures and forms can be submitted to [email protected]

🏆There will be a prize(s) at the end depending on participation numbers and who can get the most challenges completed. We may also have a party/book talk get together at the end!🎉

05/28/2026

Most of the community has probably never heard of the incredible woman behind this gift — but today, we want to make sure her kindness and legacy are remembered. ❤️

Eckels Library was incredibly honored and grateful to be one of 485 Iowa libraries to receive a gift from Norma Jean Warner’s estate. Our library received $941.69 — a gift that will help continue our mission of serving our community through literacy, learning, and connection.

We are truly humbled and appreciative to be part of Norma Jean’s lasting impact across Iowa. Her generosity will continue touching small communities for years to come, and we are thankful to help carry on her love for libraries and lifelong learning.

Thank you, Norma Jean Warner. Your kindness will not be forgotten. 📚

Most of the Ringsted community have not heard of this amazing lady. Norma Jean Warner was born in 1937 and was know for her quiet strength, sharp intellect, and deep compassion for others. Throughout her life, she believed firmly in the power of education and the dignity of aging with support and connection. These values guided her personal life and her remarkable action of giving. Norma passed away in Des Moines in 2023. Her husband predeceased and she had no children. In an extraordinary final gift, Norma donated the bulk of her wealth to charities throughout the state of Iowa. One of her bequest was a majority of her wealth go to libraries and senior centers in Iowa towns with a population of 7000 or less. The Ringsted library was blessed to receive $941.69. A total of 485 libraries in Iowa under with a town population under 7,000 received checks. Thank you to Norma Jean, she will be remembered!

05/27/2026

🫣 Sneak Peek 🫣

Paint and Story-walk happening this week! Stay tuned for more details……

05/27/2026

📚 Wednesdays at the Library Just Got Better! ☀️

To better accommodate RCC schedules, Eckels Memorial Library will now be opening at 9:00 AM every Wednesday in June & July!

This gives summer kids a chance to:
✨ Attend and participate in our Wednesday reading activities
🎲 Play and hang out with friends
❄️ Enjoy a change of venue and cool off for a bit
📖 Spend time at the library before heading back for lunch at their scheduled RCC time

We are excited to make Wednesdays even more fun and accessible for our summer kiddos! See you at the library! 💙📚

05/27/2026

This weekend fun times in Carson!