LIBRARY TALK – OCTOBER 20, 2022
From the desk of Alison Gibson, Director
It is confirmed! Trunk or Treat, held in our newly paved parking lot at Ripley, will be held on Monday, October 31st from 6-7:30. The Ripley Friends of the Library are organizing this event, and every year it gets bigger and better. Late last week we were told there were already 15 participants shortly after the date was set and we wouldn’t be surprised if that number doubles. We invite you or your organization to come and set up to help provide a safe and fun ‘trick or treat’ for our kids. Talk to one of the Friends or give the library a call.
Thinking of Halloween, and ghosts…we were perusing the earlier Ripley Bee for stories–didn’t find much in the way of local ghost stories, but found the following: In 1938, the Bee recalled an article in the Augusta Chronicle, stating that some ladies about 13 years ago travelled to Ripley to visit the ‘Eliza House’, climbed the stairs and were a little disappointed that no one was there at the time. Regardless, they took pictures all around the house. When they had the film developed, on the front porch there was a vision of an old man on a high-back rocking chair. (At the time of their visit, there was a bucket with a fern growing in it but no chair on the porch). They sent the picture to the Bee and a scholarly old gentleman who had since passed said that it looked remarkably like Rev. Rankin. Alas, the snapshot was included in the loss from the flood, so no way to back up the claim.
Problem with searching for ‘ghosts’ is…. you get a lot of ‘ghost of a chance’, Holy Ghost, ghost of a smile, little kids dressed up as ghosts etc. Back when the Ripley Bee had serialized stories, plenty of those were ghost stories, but not local settings. Several of our Ohio ghost books have local stories such as Calico Woman and Ghost Hollow, so if this is an interesting topic for you, stop in, and we’ll see what is on the shelf!
A reminder this Friday the RULH Spanish club is hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration in the annex from 5-9 p.m., with food, music and speakers. Free event and all are welcome.
