Friday Grab Bag, January 24, 2025

A man in a cowboy hat fishes on a snowy bank with his dog.
Using a break in the weather, The Vail Trail, January 25, 1985

The Friday Grab Bag is a weekly series that highlights fun, unique, and interesting happenings in Colorado libraries, and includes news from the Colorado State Library. Let’s open the Friday Grab Bag!

Library Events & Programs

Up to the Challenge

Three high school girl basketball players stand next to their coach.
The Undefeated BHS Girls’ Basketball team, The Owl, January 31, 1975

Tweens can challenge their skills and abilities at Pikes Peak Library District’s Minute to Win It on January 30 at Old Colorado City Library. Join them for a night of fun and friendly competition.

Security Public Library is hosting a Hat-a-Thon on January 25 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Come and enjoy lunch while you make hats that will be donated to local food banks, shelters, and community residents.

Westminster Public Library is hosting their One Book Westminster Launch Party on January 25 at 2:00 pm. Come listen to a talk on Colorado’s vibrant literary scene, pick up a passport, and borrow a copy of Go As a River by Shelley Read.

Brain Builders

Put on your sleuthing hat—Basalt Regional Library invites you to solve The Case of the Mislaid File (And Other Computer Mysteries) on January 29. Learn to decode cryptic messages and solve puzzling behaviors that you may encounter on your computer.

Get to Know Your Sewing Machine at Broomfield Library’s inventHQ Makerspace on January 29. Whether you have a new machine or one gathering dust, bring it and learn the basics of threading, winding a bobbin, selecting and customizing stitches, and maintenance.

La Veta Public Library welcomes Victor Neufeld, PhD, for Dementia: What You Need To Know on January 30 at 2:00 pm. His presentation will address common questions and concerns of people with dementia and their caregivers.

Gather and Learn

Three girls compete in an ice skating race.
Into the wind, Canyon Courier, January 28, 1965

Loveland Public Library invites you to join poet April Stutters for Encountering a Poet: Marge Piercy on January 25 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. This all-ages workshop will explore the themes and styles of Marge Piercy, a prolific writer in many genres including poetry.

Join Garfield County Libraries for Coexistence Works: Protecting Livestock and Wolves with Nonlethal Coexistence Methods on January 27 at Glenwood Springs Branch Library. Suzanne Asha Stone and Glenn Elzinga will discuss how their organizations help human communities coexist with wildlife.

West Custer County Library invites entrepreneurs to a Small Business Workshop on January 28 at 5:00 pm. This multi-part series will cover defining your purpose, attracting customers, and structuring your small business for success.

Gunnison County Library District is hosting a Community Rock & Fossil Day at Gunnison Library on January 25 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Geologist Dr. Ryan King will present on Interpreting Dinosaur Tracks and Traces: The Influence of Morphology, Behavior, and Depositional Environment. The afternoon will also include family activities.

Four skiers holding hands wear striped prisoner costumes.
Winterskol ’85, The Aspen Times, January 24, 1985

What’s New from the Colorado State Library

Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection

Desperately Seeking High School Newspapers – for CHNC

Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection 2024 Fast Facts

Learning Opportunities

All events are online except where a location is noted.

Library Jobline

Are you considering a job change this year? Check out Library Jobline for hot new library employment opportunities, like this selection from around Colorado.


A man wearing a chef's hat spoons chili into a judge's mouth.
Golden’s chili barons, Golden Transcript, January 29, 1975

This post is part of the Spotlight on Sharing initiative, which aims to increase the visibility of Colorado library programs and resource sharing. Do you have a story from your library to share? Email Amy Hitchner, hitchner_a@cde.state.co.us.

All images are from the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of Colorado State Library.

Amy Hitchner
Latest posts by Amy Hitchner (see all)