Traveling Library

08/30/2026

The Pokémon Championships have been such an exciting experience! ⚡️🔥

A huge thank-you to Richard Fairlie for signing a special poster featuring the names of all the kids I tutor throughout the Westside area. I promised my students I would bring them back some Pokémon goodies, and this poster is going straight onto the wall at the Gustine Traveling Library headquarters! 🥹💛

More photos are coming as Jose and I continue exploring and enjoying all the Pokémon excitement! 📸✨

08/29/2026

A beautiful new addition is taking shape in the Traveling Library windows! 💖🌈📚

A huge thank-you to our talented Traveling Library Board Member and artist-in-residence, Elizabeth Petitt, for sharing her incredible gift and creating our very own Dolly in her beautiful Coat of Many Colors!

There is still more to be added, but the star of the show is already complete—and she looks absolutely wonderful! Behind the scenes, our Board is also planning a special and meaningful way to honor Dolly’s memory and the love of reading she shared with children everywhere.

We cannot wait to share more soon!

08/28/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy reached thousands of children right here in Merced County. ❤️📚

Since 2021, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has provided free monthly books to local children from birth to age 5. By May 2024, 8,289 Merced County children had participated, and more than 101,000 books had been distributed.

Los Banos was among the areas with the highest participation, while Gustine Traveling Library founder Zachery Ramos later partnered with the program through First 5 Merced County to help promote local enrollment.

Parton also had another Central Valley connection through “Deportee,” her recording about the 1948 Los Gatos Canyon plane crash near Coalinga.

Read the full story at Los Banos Enterprise. Link in comments.

08/27/2026

🇺🇸 A reminder to our community about this year’s Gustine 9/11 Memorial Walk.

This September marks 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Please join us on Friday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m. as we come together for a candlelight procession honoring the lives lost, the bravery of our first responders, and the countless families forever affected.

The walk will begin at Coast Hardware, located at 545 Fifth Street, and continue to the Gustine Police Department.

We hope you will walk alongside us for this meaningful evening of remembrance and unity. Please help us spread the word by sharing this post.

We will never forget. 🇺🇸🕯️

08/26/2026

We’d like to give a big thank you to Merced County Supervisor Jim Pacheco for donating the hay bales for RES & GMS Fall scenes!

08/25/2026

A Message from Board President Zachery Ramos

Today, our hearts are broken as we join millions of people around the world in mourning the loss of Dolly Parton—an irreplaceable national treasure whose light reached far beyond the stage.

Dolly gave the world more than unforgettable songs. She gave people hope, joy, dignity, and the courage to dream. Her generosity came from a deeply held belief that every child deserved an opportunity to learn and that even the smallest communities were worthy of love and support.

Here in our little hometown of Gustine, we were fortunate enough to feel that love firsthand. For the past two years, support connected to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and provided locally through First 5 Merced County helped fund our facility and strengthen the work we do for local children and families.

Because of that generosity, children in our community received access to free books, clothing, food, a safe and welcoming place to visit, and so much more. Dolly’s kindness reached children she may never have met in a town she may never have visited—and it made a real difference in their lives.

That was the beauty of Dolly Parton. She had a way of making people feel seen and cared for, even from far away. She showed us that a life of tremendous success could also be a life devoted to service and that one loving heart could create ripples reaching even the smallest corners of the world.

Our entire team is deeply saddened by this news. In time, we plan to come together with our community to celebrate Dolly’s extraordinary life, music, generosity, and lasting legacy. But before we celebrate, we need time to mourn the loss of an absolutely beautiful soul who gave so much of herself to others.

Thank you, Dolly—for the music, the stories, the laughter, the books placed into children’s hands, and the countless dreams you helped inspire.

Gustine is a better place because your love reached us. We will never forget that, and we will do our best to carry your kindness forward.

With love, gratitude, and a very heavy heart,

Zachery Ramos
Board President
Gustine Traveling Library

08/21/2026

🌱 Grow, learn, and discover with the Gustine Traveling Library!

We’re excited to launch our new Grow & Learn: Family Seed Library on September 1! This free, hands-on agricultural education program will give local children and families the opportunity to select seeds to grow at home while learning where their food comes from.

Each participating family may receive one seed pack every two weeks, giving everyone a chance to grow something new together! 🌻🍅🥕

Program supplies are limited and will be available while supplies last.

This program is proudly part of our Green Gustine Initiative. We can’t wait to see what our community grows! 💚🌱

08/20/2026

08/18/2026

August Calendar 🍉

08/18/2026

🌱 The Gustine Elementary School Garden Project is officially underway!

Today, we rolled up our sleeves and began clearing out the garden area to prepare it for its next chapter. There is still plenty of work ahead, but seeing the space begin to open up makes me even more excited about what it can become for our students.

Little by little, we’re planting the seeds for something special—a welcoming space where students can learn, explore, and watch their hard work grow. Stay tuned for more updates as this garden comes back to life! 🌻🐮🪴