At the Library - By Sally Holt

My family was staying at a cottage on True’s Point in New Gloucester, Maine in the summer of 1969. It was late on, July 29, when my father woke me along with my three brothers. From my cot, nearby, I could see my mother and father huddled around a small black and white television and I could hear my father saying, “Stay awake, stay awake this is one of the most important times in history and I don’t want you to miss it.” As I watched I could see a slightly out of focus image of a man in space suit climb down some stairs and set foot on the moon. I was one of a half billion people in the world united at that very moment listening to those momentous words, “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

At the time, I did not realize how this one footstep, so far away from our tiny lake cottage, could be so important, but it has turned out to be one of the greatest moments in the history of the United States and the world. I can’t help but wonder how many children around the world were watching. And what was the influence of that moment on the rest of their lives?

On Tuesday, July 29 and August 12, Family Star Gazing Night will occur after dark on Hacker Hill, off Quaker Ridge Road in Casco. Join Ed Gleason from the University of Maine Planetarium and David Manchester, a member of Southern Maine Astronomers and take a closer look with their guidance of the night sky. Lisa Davison, our youth services assistant at the library will also be there both evenings. A grant from Loon Echo Trust has made both of these evenings possible and is a collaboration between the Raymond Village Library and Casco Village Library. It is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Raymond Village Library at 655-4283 or the Casco Public Library at 627-4541.

Stop by the Raymond Village Library Book Sale this summer through August. We have many fiction, non-fiction, large print books, music CDs, vinyl and children’s books at low, low prices and in great condition, many suitable for gift giving. You may even find some interesting sci-fi fiction.

Hours at the library are: 

Sunday 10-4

Monday 10-6

Wednesday 10-6

Thursday 2-7