The Coaldale Public Library is celebrating a historic birthday this year. 2025 marks its 80th anniversary, and festivities are set to take place in June.
The milestone will start with the Pages of the Past: 80 Years of Library & Community History event at 7 p.m. on June 2. The Gem of the West Museum has curated a retrospective with photos to reflect on the community’s storied history.
The showcase will also feature the opening of the Town of Coaldale Millennium Time Capsule, which was sealed in 2000.
“This capsule is a message from one generation of Coaldale residents to the next,” says mayor Jack Van Rijn.
“As we reflect on 80 years of library service and community growth, opening the time capsule allows us to rediscover what mattered to us at the turn of the millennium—and to imagine what we’ll leave for future generations.”
The exhibit will highlight eight decades of stories and is curated by the museum’s Craig Day.
“From black-and-white photos of the original library building to vivid memories of community events, this exhibit paints a picture of who we were and how far we’ve come,” says Day. “The opening of the time capsule is the perfect bookend to that story—it’s both a historic artifact and a conversation starter.”
Day will also be sharing stories during the exhibit’s opening night. Meanwhile, Head Librarian Kindra Birss says the anniversary provides a chance to not only celebrate the past, but also reconnect with the present.
“For 80 years, the Library has been a space for learning, imagination, and community,” says Birss. “This week of celebration—starting with the time capsule and culminating in our big community event on Saturday, June 7—is our way of saying thank you to everyone who has made that possible.”
The exhibit marks the beginning of a week-long anniversary at the library, with different activities leading up to a community celebration on June 7.
