Paynton Library celebrated its 40th anniversary June 12. Locals from the very beginning as well as newer residents gathered for tea and caketo reminisce about the history ofPaynton Library.
Many do not know that the library began in another building all together, where the boardroom table came from, at the back of the credit union.
"There werenot too many books at that time in 1973 when the doors opened on July 1," says Margret Currie, who has been with the library from the beginningand is still on the library board.
With more space available, the library wasmoved to the Paynton PioneerCenter in 1978. It wasn't until lateDecember,2003 when Paynton School closedthat the public library moved into its current location.
Many faces have passed through the doors over the years, and many librarians. Current librarian Sonja Margerison has been taking care of business since 2005, keeping the events running and kids behaving. Between the pumpkin carving contest at Halloween,kids using the gym weekly to play in and keeping track of how everyone is doing, Sonja has been a real asset to the community.
Some of the other wonderfullibrarians to come before her are Beverly Web from 1973to 1994, Margret Currie 1994 to 1997, Theresa Kinchen 1997 to 1999, Linda Peterson 1999 to 2004 andCathy Cox 2004 to 2005.
Many events have run through the libraryover the years, story tellers,crafts, essay contests, poster contests and book contests, author readings, movie nights, treasure hunts, etc. The Lakeland Public Library has made a permanent mark in Paynton and with the continued support of the community, will continue to flourish and grow.
Paynton Volunteer Fire Department Needs YOU! Practices run every Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. with supper being served at 6:30 p.m. so the volunteers aren'thungry atpractice. With two trucks to learn on and many topics to cover, Paynton firefighters are dedicated to making sure they are safe while helping others to safety. One of the biggest problems volunteer fire departments face is not having enough firefighters responding to a daytime call. Most volunteers are also employed and cannot always leave their jobs in the middle of the day, which is why Paynton is looking for more members to join and help fill in the gaps.
This problem is not limited to Paynton, so please call your local R.M. or town office to get more information about joining. You can find the Paynton fire hall at the east door of Paynton Pioneer Center.
