Library speakers in March, April, and May
Video available of May's Dr. Bruce Garver program
May: They came from far and wide to listen to Dr. Bruce Garver talk about Czech-Americans in Nebraska on Sunday, May 7. Those in the audience were treated to home-made kolaches. Dr. Garver spoke of the migrations of the various waves of Czechs from Europe – where they settled and the difference among the Free Thinker, Protestants and Catholic Czechs. He is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nebraska - Omaha. His presentation "looks at both the family life of new Czech-Americans and aspects of intellectual and cultural life."
Live streaming for Garver's program was also available on Zoom. The video recording is posted in this article in two parts.
Funding for programs is provided by Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and D.F. Dillon Foundation. Programs are also sponsored by the Friends of the Crete Public Library, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization.
March: Karen Gettert Shoemaker presented on the story behind her book "The Meaning of Names," on Sunday March 26 in the Crete Carrier Community Room. The library has extra copies of the book, a 2014 "Omaha Reads" selection and 2016 "One Book, One Nebraska" winner. She is currently a faculty mentor with the University of Nebraska - Omaha’s MFA in Writing Program and has taught writing and literature for more than 20 years.
"The Meaning of Names" - Stuart, Nebraska is a long way from the battlefields of Western Europe, but it is not immune to the horrors of the first Great War for Peace. Like all communities, it has lost sons and daughters to the fighting, with many more giving themselves over to the hatred only war can engender. Set in 1918 in the farm country at the heart of America, it's the story of an ordinary woman trying to raise a family during extraordinary times. Estranged from her parents because she married against their will, confronted with violence and prejudice against her people, and caught up in the midst of the worst plague the world has ever seen, Gerda Vogel, an American of German descent, must find the strength to keep her family safe from the effects of a war that threatens to consume the whole world.
April: Jeff Barnes, author and photographer, presented "Marking Nebraska" on Tuesday, April 18 at the library. He shared images and stories of some of Nebraska's lesser known historical monuments, placed far off the beaten path.