Preserving Nora's Legacy

11/18/2025

11/11/2025

Our library was a hub of activity last year, with 2,976 visits for programs, reading, and community events. This Giving Tuesday (December 2), your support of the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library helps us continue creating spaces where learning, curiosity, and connection thrive.

11/11/2025

The Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library has stood strong for generations, and thanks to your support, we’ve already made great progress restoring and preserving this historic building.

But there’s always more work to do to keep Nora looking her best! The cornice on the exterior needs repair and a fresh coat of paint to protect the structure and keep our library safe and welcoming for everyone.

This Giving Tuesday (December 2), your gift helps us take the next step in caring for this beloved building and ensuring it continues to serve our community for years to come.

10/28/2025

📆 Save the Date: December 2!

Giving Tuesday is fast approaching, and this year, your gift to the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library goes even further thanks to a special partnership with South Central Community Foundation. Partial matching funds mean your support has more impact for our programs, books, community events, and restoration efforts.

Stay tuned for all the ways you can join in and make a difference. You won’t want to miss it!

09/19/2025

No words are needed for this! We are blessed to have such a beautiful legacy!

09/17/2025

🎉 Big News from the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library! 🎉
Thanks to the 2024 Heritage Trust Fund Grant, ALL windows are restored and the building is secure! 🪟✨
🌟 WHAT’S NEW OR RESTORED?
✅ 3 basement windows
✅ 3 beveled-glass surrounds
✅ 5 stained-glass panels around Nora’s portrait
✅ Remote-controlled roller shades (no more afternoon glare!)
✅ New flagpole flying 24/7 (Tim Dye memorial dedication: Oct 4 @ 9:30 a.m.)
✅ Fresh landscaping with native grasses and hardy perennials
✅ New lamppost
✅ Re-located LIBRARY sign, visible from Broadway
🙌 Huge thanks to our volunteers, city crew, and generous donors!
💛 Want your name on the Wall of Giving? Donate $100+ and get a custom book label!
🛍️ Mugs, totes, note cards & mouse pads available now—proceeds support future projects!
📍 Visit us in Stafford County and see the transformation for yourself!

05/21/2025

Tim Dye was a faithful patron of the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library with an enthusiasm for American history. We invite you to help us honor his life and legacy.

In Tim’s memory, we are raising funds to install a flagpole outside the library— a lasting tribute to a man who quietly loved his hometown library.

Your donation, big or small, will help us:
🇺🇸Purchase and professionally install a commercial-grade flagpole
🇺🇸Illuminate it to proudly fly the flag day and night
🇺🇸Dedicate a plaque in Tim’s honor

🎯 Goal: $2,500 by July 7th

🌟Remember Tim. Celebrate the library. Leave a legacy.

👉 https://stafford.scklslibrary.info/donate/

10/22/2024

Great minds created the landscape plan -- Gary Bornholdt, Bornholdt Plantland, and Jeanie Johnson, local master gardener had input on the plants and designed this grand arrangement for Nora's Place. We are anxious to see the plants awaken next spring! As always, many thanks to donors and grantors who have made all of the building projects possible!

STAFFORD — We have LANDSCAPING! Bornholdt Plantland of Hutchinson finished landscaping and planting our front and side yard. Eventually the building committee wants to put in a flagpole, lamp post, and reset the Library sign, but for now the Library looks great! I can’t wait till spring when the...

10/15/2024

We are seeing all the Christmas decorations popping up in stores -- which reminded us that y'all will be making those Christmas Wish Lists soon! Be sure to include Nora's items on those lists!!

10/14/2024

Donate to Preserving Nora's Legacy - use this QR code or link

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=642UPUJ3LULBU

05/03/2024

More news since our last update article of January: Handrails have recently been installed on the new front steps of the Nora E. Larabee Memorial Library in Stafford! Thanks to Metal Arts, LLC of Wichita for fabricating these custom handrails, and to Robert Owens for installing them. Come see the new steps and explore the services offered at this beautiful library!

The library was awarded the Heritage Trust Fund (HTF) Grant 2024! This grant is for $100,000 with the library matching funds of up to $39,000. We are thankful for the individual donations that have made this match possible. The scope of work includes restoration of the following:
3 basement windows
3 beveled-glass surrounds (around double-hung windows)
5 stained-glass panels surrounding Nora’s portrait window
Work is to be completed on these windows by December 2025. This will complete the restoration of the envelope of the building, one of the primary goals of the Preserving Nora’s Legacy campaign that began in 2021.

We appreciate Connie Harmon’s excellent work on the narrative of this competitive HTF grant proposal! We are also grateful to those who wrote letters of support for this: Kim Fritzemeier, Gemma Austin, Don Hardin, Mary Jo Taylor, Nancy Hildebrand, and Stafford County Economic Development. This team effort gleaned bountiful results!

Stan Reimer has restored Nora’s portrait. The framed portrait fell and broke, tearing the original canvas. Stan was able to take a photograph with his phone, upload it to his computer and use software to restore it. He also brought back the faded background color to its original color. The digital image then became a giclee print on archival canvas. It is protected by museum-grade glass. He selected a frame and brought the completed portrait to the library in March. It is now hanging in the east room and looks beautiful! The Larabees would be pleased!

Seeding grass in the front yard is the current project. After the seed is planted, it will require 2-3 waterings per day. If you would like to help with this project, let Shelly Brensing (620-546-4826) or Nancy Hildebrand (620-546-3938) know and they will add your name to the watering schedule. We would really appreciate the help. Many hands make light work! Then when the grass is established, the sign will be re-set, a flagpole installed, and possibly a lamppost added.

We still have some blank “books” on the Wall of Giving, so if you’d like to make a minimum donation of $100 so that you can have an inscription label on a book, contact Gerry Hildebrand at the library or Nancy Hildebrand ([email protected]) for details.

We have mugs, tote bags, note cards, and mouse pads for sale, with proceeds going toward future projects. These are in stock at the library now and sell for suggested donation amounts.

As always, the Preserving Nora’s Legacy Committee, library board, and staff want to express their gratitude to all involved in making these projects possible, ensuring that this public service continues to thrive and enrich the lives of patrons in Stafford County and surrounding areas.