The Durbin Library Celebrates Durbin Days

The Durbin Community Library is celebrating Durbin Days July 16-July 19th.  Nancy Egan, the librarian at Durbin, said that the new library is getting closer to completion.

“We’ve been building this library for almost four years now,” Egan said. “We have fundraised and gotten funds from the state and the county commission. We’re maybe 2/3 done with it, almost more than that. We’ve put it in phases, and we’re in Phase Two. We’re finishing up the construction.”

In order to receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the library needs to raise $3,000 dollars. Egan explained that if the library can get $1,500 in donations, a generous couple will help them reach their ultimate goal. “Janet and Frank Ghigo are real supporters of Durbin,” she said, “and if they can get $1,500 in donations, they will match that, and then we will have the $3,000 that we need to get that USDA grant. It will be $10,000 and it will take care of putting tiling in the community room and carpeting in the library.”

As part of Durbin Days, the library will offer a book sale, bingo, and a cakewalk. “There’s bingo every night from Wednesday to Saturday night, from 6-9pm through Friday and then Saturday we go on until 10 o’clock.

“On Thursday night at 6pm, we’re going to have the cakewalk. Starting this year, it will be in the new library community room. The community room is not quite ready for the library—it doesn’t have any flooring in it yet—but we can certainly use it for that.”

On Saturday morning, a Puppet Show will take place at 10:30. “We have three young adults who are helping with the kids putting together puppet shows, and we have a puppet theater.”

Anyone interested in supporting library events at Durbin Days can call 304-456-3142.

“Durbin Days is definitely a fun celebration,” Egan said. “It brings out everybody here in Durbin, plus all relatives and family that visit from all over.”

Egan looks forward to the time when the building will hold library and community activities every day. “We’re making a lot of progress. We have a lot of people who donate their time there, doing different things. Right now, we’re erecting our sign on the outside. The sign is made from the bricks from the old Durbin School; it’ll have a railroad tie on the top. The focus is on this area and the history.”