I’m starting a new blog post series called “Reading Adventure” along with other things on my blog. I may add a vlog to this eventually, but for now, I wanted to blog on locations and different unique places that center themselves around the world of reading and writing. So, whether it’s a unique library, book store, places centered around certain authors (like birthplace, homes, schools, pubs, unique places) it will be placed in this blog series.
FIRST READING ADVENTURE
So, for the first Reading Adventure, I didn’t travel too far. In fact, I went a few blocks over to the Public Library in Spencer, Iowa. I currently reside in Spencer…so this was an easy one to start with…and with a little fame hooked to it.
The Spencer Public Library is home to Dewey Read More Books the famous cat that saved a small town! You might recognize Dewey in his famous book cover picture and a few lines from the Dewey website that tells the story…
“Vicki Myron was a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm and an alcoholic husband. But her biggest challenge as the new head librarian in Spencer, Iowa, was to raise the spirits of a small, out-of-the-way town mired deep in the farm crisis of the 1980s. Then, on the coldest morning of the year, Vicki found a tiny, bedraggled kitten almost frozen to death in the night dropbox, and her life—and the town of Spencer—was never the same. Dewey, as the townspeople named the kitten, grew into a strutting, affable library cat whose antics kept patrons in stitches, and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving friendships. As his fame grew, people drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey, and he even ended up in a hit television documentary…in Japan! Through it all, Dewey remained a loyal companion, a beacon of hope not just for Vicki Myron, but for the entire town of Spencer as it slowly, steadily pulled itself up from the worst financial crisis in its long history.”
You can find much more about Dewey on the website www.deweyreadmorebooks.com
Of course, if you are wandering around the northwest corner of Iowa and you stumble upon the town of Spencer, IA…I encourage you to check out the library. It’s easy to find at 21 E 3rd Street, Spencer, IA 51301 and you can roam around and find more about the library and the famous cat that once roamed and lived in the building. Not to mention talking with any of the librarians that were working at the time Dewey was around. Their stories are priceless…but exploring the library itself is worth a short visit.
If you happen to find the library it offers a unique contemporary design for small-town Iowa.
And a nice Children’s Library section….which is always fun for the young imagination.
Whether you are around Spencer, IA and checking out the scene of Dewey the Cat, or if you are just checking out your own local scene, I encourage you to visit your local library! It’s a wealth sitting at your own back door! Meanwhile…
Happy reading!
Country Pilgrim 