Charles & JoAnn Lester Library - Nekoosa Library

06/06/2026

Read the post below and this will ALL make sense! Let’s enjoy an ‘80s and ‘90s summer!

06/06/2026

I’ve been hearing a number of parents comment that this is going to be a ‘90’s summer for their kids. Popsicles, trips to the library, reading, and simple pleasures that cost free 99.

We got you!
Free day passes to WI state parks ✅
Free passes to Historic Point Basse ✅
Free passes to Food + Farm ✅
Free passes to Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum ✅

A fun summer reading program ✅

Price is Right Plinko for summer readers? ✅ C’mon down!

Goonies, pizza and snacks on June 25th ✅ 🎶 It’s good enough for me🎶

And taking us all back to happier times…to make it truly an ‘80s or ‘90s reading party…here is a link for Pizza Hut’s online Book It Program! HECK YEAH! 🍕🍕

(Pretty sure my parents were not big fans of the program, AND I would diligently read every month to earn a personal pan pizza that I didn’t even like. I only ate the pepperonis off the pizza. Ask my mom.😬)

PARENTS!
I wholeheartedly encourage you to “double dip”.
Enter reading times on ReadSquared AND enter them on the Pizza Hut app.

Here’s the link:
https://www.bookitprogram.com/?fbclid=IwVERDUASQdkdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeKg3dziGXcf8pquv7LV6xXnWzYqMigAQ8BQk1g6B-nHHsu205Wm3cRd5QD0E_aem_ApylhtP3CuyCiAe3kVHFXQ

I’ll have the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading sheet at the front desk, too! There is a whole list of free books you can earn, just for reading 8 books this summer. Winner Winner, triple chicken dinner!

https://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2025-BN-Kids-Summer-Reading-Journal.pdf

Can’t wait to see you all this summer!

06/05/2026

This is a difficult post to write, friends. We are always thankful for your donations of a recent best seller or high demand titles.

We are also thankful that we have book and puzzle swap bins in our entryway. Patrons love this, and staff spends a good amount of time making sure the books are less than 5 years old, clean, odor free, attractive, and appealing to readers.

We have been inundated with damaged, stained, sticky, falling apart and well…stinky books. When patrons see a bin with some damaged and discolored and stinky books, they don’t even bother to look at the other ones.

Our rule of thumb for the free book bins is: Would you buy this at a used book store? If not, please don’t leave them in the bins. Thank you so much for understanding.

06/02/2026

Library friends, it is with a heavy heart that I share Mrs. Charles Lester passed away yesterday with her daughter and son by her side. I’m sure that Chuck was so very happy to welcome his dear Joey.

I can hardly believe it’s been over 18 years since I first met Mrs. Lester. My first baby was a newborn when I started as Director. He graduated from high school on Sunday.

Mrs. Lester was ALWAYS picture perfect, and looked absolutely elegant. She had that rare combination of grace and genuine interest, yet was one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. Whenever I would see her, she would inquire about my two boys and ask what they were up to, and remind me that I was living in the best part of my life.

There is a saying “behind every great man, there is a great woman”. Mr. Lester would wholeheartedly agree. Mrs. Lester was raised in an era and family that just doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I had an opportunity to talk about her mother, Mrs. Dorothy Alexander, and share some pictures of the Christmas parties at the YMCA. I told her how incredibly lucky and thankful we were for her family’s generosity. She replied that her parents believed if you had been blessed with much, much would be required of you. The Alexander family decided to share that with the communities in which they lived.

“Why, one thanks some people for being alive at the same time with one; I thank you for having met me, for my being able to remember you all my life!" - Dostoevsky

I will surely remember both Mr. & Mrs. Lester for the rest of my life.

View JoAnn "Joey" Lester's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

06/02/2026

Due to short staffing, and required meeting attendance this evening, the library will be closing at 5pm today, Tuesday, June 2.

We will be back to our regular hours tomorrow, 9am-5pm. Thank you so much for your understanding!

05/22/2026

Memorial Day has always held special significance for me. Stories of service and loss shared with me as a child and as an adult. So many young people, so much promise lost. Looking at rows upon rows of young faces, some bravely smiling, others with haunted eyes.

This year, as in years past, I have put up the names and faces of those Nekoosa, Port Edwards, and Armenia Veterans who lost their lives during wartime. I have included photos of those Vietnam Veterans who survived the War, only to lose their lives years later due to Agent Orange exposure.

This year, I started with our Centralia/Nekoosa Civil War Veterans and put them in order by their death date. Our WWI Veterans are organized the same way.

World War II has a lot of casualties. Every year, my heart breaks at how many families suffered the loss of a son, brother, or husband. 1944 and 1945 were hard years for Nekoosa. Many of the young men in the community volunteered to go, and were allowed to graduate early. The 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945 yearbooks are dedicated to those classmates who were fighting overseas. 17, 18, and 19 years old.

The Vietnam War claimed three young men from the Nekoosa area: Kenny Goodness, Ronald Hagen, and Jerry Ashburn. 50 years later, the Vietnam War is still claiming lives daily. The shadow of war is long.

Our display ends with Dennis Johnson, who was killed on 9/11 at the Pentagon and Troy Oleson who passed away far too young at the age of 49.

"It is not enough to win a war; it is more important to organize the peace." Aristotle

05/12/2026

The City of Nekoosa had a ribbon cutting today at the beautiful new pavilion at Kautzer Plaza. What a wonderful addition to the City!
I’m including a few pictures and will soon have rental information available here at the library.

It is the absolutely perfect place for a summer birthday party!

Splash pad ✅
Nice bathrooms ✅
Shaded Picnic tables ✅
Well appointed serving area ✅
Sink and fridge ✅
Pickleball and tennis courts ✅
Ample playground space ✅

04/22/2026

Adventures with our new system! 😬
Many of you may have received messages that ALL of your holds are available. They are not. It’s a glitch in the new system that makes things exciting for us!

If you received a message saying your holds are in, please give us a call at 715-886-7879, so we can double check our holds shelf. Thanks for your patience as we continue to fine tune our new program.

04/21/2026

Plant one or more containers of cool season vegetables like peas, greens, radishes and beets. Start them from seeds indoors and move them outside when the weather conditions are right. They
make great additions to your patio, deck or balcony gardens. Or if you have no outdoor garden space, continue to grow them in a sunny window or under artificial lights indoors. Allow family
and friends to harvest a few vegetables for snacking or adding to their salads and sandwiches. Everyone will enjoy harvesting
their own ingredients and the garden-fresh flavor.

To watch a free webinar recording on Growing a Bountiful Harvest Even When Your Time, Space & Budget are Limited with Melinda Myers visit
https://www.melindamyers.com/articles/affordable-and-practical-sustainable-gardening

You can also download the handout and register for more free webinars with Melinda Myers in May and June.

Sept. 17, 2026 FREE WEBINAR: Fall Landscape Care and Planting Register here WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS MORE UPCOMING EVENT DETAILS 

04/14/2026

We have such wonderful news to share with our community in the leadup to National Library Week! I strongly believe that having a library card opens doors. Regardless of income level, I have always tried to make sure our community members have as many opportunities as possible. This year, I have doubled down on that idea!

We have been collaborating with community partners to offer our Charles & JoAnn Lester Library cardholders a few special privileges!

We continue to offer FREE Wisconsin State Park Day passes. Stop into the library and we can get you all set up!

We continue our partnership with the Central Wisconsin Children's Museum in downtown Stevens Point with a membership card you can checkout at our library. Yes! You and the littles in your life can go to the Children's Museum for FREE!

While you're at it, check out the Food+Farm Exploration Center; best recognized as the Giant Potato Masher on I-39. We are the first library to be able to offer a membership card you can check out at our library, and visit Food+Farm for free! I hear their weekend brunch is fantastic!

Closer to home, I am THRILLED that Historic Point Basse - Wakely House was able to offer us a Library Membership. We have 5 family passes. These passes are available to checkout, and will give you admission to the following events this year: Pioneer Festival, Whodunit?, Civil War Days, Harvest Fair, Encampment, Spirit Walk, Heritage Hollyday, and Ice Harvest. Family passes are good for up to 6 members of one family to attend any of the HPB events this year!

We've added a few other neat items like Yoto players, a weaving loom for potholders (but it's super cool!) and a variety of crochet hooks and knitting kits.

Stop in to see us next week (April 20-24) for a sweet treat to celebrate Library Week!