"Wine at the Mansion" a Success!!

The Meyersdale Public Library's first annual wine-tasting and silent auction fundraiser was a huge success! Many thanks go out to Jan and Mike for making the Deal Mansion Bed& Breakfast available for the afternoon. The beautiful building added just the right ambiance to the event. Jan and Mike also provided a delicious array of gourmet cheeses as well as the door prize of a one-night stay at the mansion.

Professional sommelier, Kristine Keller, added her expertise by explaining the unique qualities of a variety of wines; two of which were local products donated by Wayne Miller and Ron Irwin. A bottle of each wine presented for tasting was sold through silent bidding.

Of course, the Friends of the Library Group must take the majority of the credit for putting together a fundraiser that was enjoyable to so many. It is the hard work of this dedicated group that helps keep the Meyersdale Library functioning. I am, as always, grateful to have such creative and dedicated people to work with.

The decorated Christmas Trees donated by local businesses were a hit! Seven lucky bidders took home trees provided by: Thomas Drug Store, Clapper's Building Materials, Citizen's National Bank, 219 Java Cafe, Forever Flowers, Country Bouquet, and the Friends of the Library Group.

Thank you to all who participated and contributed financially to "Wine at the Mansion." The money raised will be used to keep operations going in 2011. This is vitally important in that state-funding for libraries has been decreasing consistently over the past few years. Ironically, library usage has increased as individuals and families utilize library services to offset increasing costs in their homes.

Community support, in all its forms, keeps the Meyersdale Public Library viable and an organization of high repute. That being said, the future is financially shaky and it should never be forgotten that one of the characteristics of a successful community is the presence of a public library.