Martinsburg Community Library Hosts Annual 'Library Bash'

Martinsburg Community Library hosted the annual Library Bash at the Bistro and Silent Auction on Oct. 8.

Doors opened at 5 p.m., with the auction and raffle ticket and quilt ticket sales beginning at the same time.

Library Director Danette Feathers welcomed attendees before the dinner buffet opened.

Library Board of Trustees President Brooke Long-Yarrison presented awards following dinner. Award winners included Conner Kerfien, Bookworm Award 2022; Jay Mason and Kylie Wolf, Love Your Library Award 2022; Homewood of Martinsburg, Novel Service Award for Business 2022.

The Bookworm Award was created the year to honor a local high school student. The library contacted Wendy Engelberg, the library media specialist at Central High School to choose a student who was devoted to reading books. Kerfien is a sophomore at Central, who visits the library daily.

Wolf and Mason both wrote on what they love about their library. Wolf noted that the library allows her to go to places she will never be able to explore, like "open prairies, horse farms, other countries, Narnia, and the past."

Wolf said she loves to go on adventures through books at the library.

Mason listed many things the library has taught him about, like animals, bugs and creepy creatures.

"The best thing about the library is it is always free," Mason said.

Martinsburg Community Library history

As excerpted from the "History of Martinsburg, PA – 1832-1957"

It was on September 25, 1947 that the Martinsburg Community Library Association was born.

On that date, about 50 men and women of the community, after one day's notice, attended a meeting in the Martinsburg Municipal Building to lay the ground work for what has today grown into a well-established community library. That September meeting was a culmination of the efforts of several people throughout Martinsburg and the Cove, who recognized the need for a community library. The movement for a library actually began a year earlier with editorials in the Morrisons Cove Herald. By the next year, public opinion was enthusiastic for the library project.

At that first meeting, chaired by Blair M. Bice, Herald editor, Mrs. Howard A. Kerr was elected temporary chairman of the association. The first directors elected a week later, included Claude Barnard, Mrs. Carlton Hoyt, Blair M. Bice, Mrs. Martin Croft, Mrs. Howard Kerr, Sam Garner, Dr. J. Keim Bonebreak, the Rev. Paul J. Keller, E. Grant Herr, Mary Graffius and Mrs. Roy Black.

Through the work done by these people, and many others in the community, the library was opened the following spring – on April 9, 1948.