By Rachel Dickerson
McDonald County Press [email protected]
Finding a book to read just got a little easier for folks in Anderson.
On Nov. 13, the Anderson Betterment Club held a ribbon cutting for a Little Free Library outside City Hall. The box of books on a pole, decorated like a brick building similar to the former train depot that houses City Hall, was a project of Boy Scout Devin Dawson, 14.
Dawson, a member of Boy Scout Troop 95, headed up the project in hopes of earning his Eagle Scout award -- the highest honor in scouting. He said he was inspired by seeing a Little Free Library in Goodman.
"Some people can't get to a library, so I put a library down here," he said. Dawson noted his favorite thing to read is the series "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."
The Little Free Library movement dates back to 2009, when co-founder and executive director Todd Bol of Hudson, Wis., built the first one and put it in his front yard. When his neighbors and friends loved it, he began building more and giving them away. Eventually a movement was born. Today there are more than 25,000 registered Little Free Libraries in the world.
See library page 3A
Tim Thurman, assistant scoutmaster, helped Dawson with the power tools and woodworking.
"He got it all together. I helped him figure out what he needed," Thurman said. "He told me what design he wanted. He did a lot of it himself. I was just kind of helping guide him through it. It's a good community project. Since this town doesn't have a library, it helps kids exchange books and get more reading material. I hope it's around for a long time. I hope the community enjoys having it around."
Among the titles in the Little Library were "The Holy Bible," "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Santa's Moose" and "The Yearling." The books were donated by Anderson United Methodist Church, Dawson said.
Ken Schutten of the Anderson Betterment Club said, "We think it's great. It's a testament to two groups working together to make things better for our community."
He said he had begun researching getting a Little Free Library in Anderson when he found out the Boy Scouts were already working on one. The club donated $100 to the Boy Scout troop following the ribbon cutting.
"We think it's a great thing for the scouts and a great thing for Anderson," he said.
Dawson's mother, Krista, proudly snapped photos of her son next to the structure.
"I'm speechless," she said. "He's worked hard."
General News on 11/19/2015