The local Boy Scout Troop has been collecting newspapers and aluminum cans at the Plattsmouth Street Department Facility at 444 13th Avenue in Plattsmouth. This service is still available and newspapers (no magazines or other paper) and aluminum cans (rinsed out) can be dropped off Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Boy Scouts are there the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. as well.
The city of Plattsmouth also offers drop offs at the street department for used appliances, auto and industrial batteries, and used oil. This is available the first Saturday of every month from 9: 00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. also at the City Street Department.
And starting on Friday, August 8, Elkhorn Sanitation Services will begin offering service for Plattsmouth customers. This is a great opportunity because for an additional $10 per month, they provide a recyclable material pick up. The company provides an 80 gallon container that contains a computer chip. When the container is weighed by Elkhorn Sanitation Services the customer is given credits based on the pounds of recycling material returned. The credits are then used at participating retailers to help the customers offset the cost of the service. Please call (402) 330-3603 to sign up for the new service.
The Plattsmouth Public Library has been recycling our paper, plastic, cans, and newspaper since the beginning of the year. The library is committed to reducing the amount of waste it generates and that then goes to the landfill. Since we have begun this program, our dumpster pickup schedule has been cut from weekly to once a month! The library staff is very proud of our efforts in this endeavor.
Library staff members, Barb Miller, Evis Zamora, Erin Newburn, and Krissy Nelson with the library’s containers for plastic, cans, bottles, and paper.
I would also like to offer a tip for the week on choosing a better light bulb for use at home. I just found out that if every household replaced 3 regular (incandescent) light bulbs with compact fluorescents (CF’s), it would be the equal of taking 3.5 million cars off the road in pollution impact. When replacing bulbs, aim for a CF bulb whose wattage is about 25% of the incandescent bulb you are currently using. So, a 15 watt CF bulb will replace a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
Since there are a variety of CF bulbs available, so buy just one of the bulbs you are looking at and try it before making a mass purchase. A color temperature between 2650 and 2850 degrees Kelvin is recommended or one that is labeled “warm white.”
You will also need to ensure that your lamp will accommodate the bulb you have chosen since a CF bulb and its ballast (end part of the bulb) can be bigger than standard incandescent bulbs. Also, be extremely careful with dimmer switches. There are CF bulbs designed for this purpose, make sure to read the package before purchasing. Watch for the Energy Star label meaning that the United States Government recognizes these bulbs for their efficiency. CF Bulbs also need to be recycled when they do burn out. It is also smart to watch for rebates from utility companies to use these bulbs as they make it easier for utility companies at peak use periods.
Hopefully this information will make it easier to choose these smart bulbs for a good impact on the environment. For more detailed information, the website, www.environmentaldefense.org is a great source of easy to read and understand guidelines.
The Plattsmouth Dairy Queen is sponsoring “Blizzard Night” on Thursday, August 7th. Children’s Miracle Network will benefit from each Blizzard sold on that day as the proceeds are sent to them. The Children’s Hospital in Omaha will receive funds from this particular project directly. This benefit applies to any flavor of Blizzard a customer orders. They are also selling coupons that can be redeemed at another time by a customer. These coupons enable someone to participate but not have to visit Dairy Queen on that specific day. Please stop in and treat yourself and your family to benefit a great cause!
There was a huge turnout for the kickoff program with Kathleen Ziemer of Butterfliz of Iowa. She brought many examples of butterflies, cocoons, and chrysalis’ for everyone to see and touch. Ms. Ziemer also gave a great talk explaining the life cycle and work of the butterfly. There were over 200 people at Garfield Park including kids, parents, day care providers, and other chaperones. The Friends of the Plattsmouth Library group very generously donated specially designed book bags filled with books for each child in attendance. The Women’s Auxiliary of the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars group were the Storytime Readers as part of recognizing the Fourth of July. They read patriotic books to groups of children before the speaker started. The library staff would also like to thank the Plattsmouth Chamber of Commerce for donating American flags to be distributed to the kids.
Kathleen Ziemer (photo courtesy of Jill Markham)
Sara Veloso from Henry Doorly Zoo was the speaker on Tuesday, July 8, at Garfield Park for the Summer Reading Program. Ms. Veloso brought exhibits including animal skins and insect displays for the kids to touch and feel. Ms. Veloso also gave a great talk about insects, bugs, and arachnids, explaining the differences between them. Over 120 people attended the program. Thank you to the Lion’s Club service group for providing story time readers.
Warren Nelson, a representative from the Nebraska Beekeeping Association was the speaker on Tuesday, July 15, at Garfield Park. Over 132 people were there to learn about how important bees are in the pollination process for crops and other plants. Mr. Nelson also talked about how honey is produced and he shared some great pictures of bee life up close!
A smaller crowd was gathered for the Summer Reading Program on Tuesday, July 22 at Garfield Park. However, they were lucky enough to meet “Millie” the millipede from the University of Nebraska Lincoln entomology department. Neil Spomer, an entomologist brought display cases of insects and butterflies which were a big hit with the kids. In addition to Millie, he also brought some live hissing cockroaches! It was a very informative talk and display.
The annual picnic was sponsored by Hy Vee in the Stockyards Plaza at 36th and L streets for the fourth year in a row. Approximately 125 people were served hot dogs, chips, cookies, and lemonade. And the rain managed to hold off until the very end of the picnic so we were grateful for that! There were 4 winners of Advanced Insect Collector Kits from the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade group. They were Jordan Johnson, Effie Markham, Ryan Markham, and Caleb Dickerson.
Caleb, Jordan, Effie, and Ryan
The winners of the “Bug Scene Investigator” kits or other Bug Collecting equipment were Hannah Moore, Elizabeth Coulby, Zach Yenney, Madison Daly, Aubrey Dickerson, Javen Kok, and Tyler Jaxien.
Javen, Aubrey, Hannah, Elizabeth, Madison, and Zach
The winners of Bug Collecting equipment in the Kindergarten age group were Hayden Anderson, Sam Souter, Hunter Scruggs, Aidan Daly, and Keegan Moore.
Hayden, Hunter, Aidan, Sam, and Hannah (Keegan’s Sister)
A big thank you to all the parents, grandparents, caregivers, and chaperones who bring the kids to the library to get books, help fill out logbooks, and come to the park for the programs. Your support is much appreciated.
Thank you to the Friends of the Plattsmouth Public Library group who not only fund the program but also volunteer at the park each week. We would not have a program without them.
Thank you to the Kiwanis Group, Lions Club, Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Rotary Club for providing story readers each week. Thank you to Heather Weaver of Farmers Insurance Group for bringing child safety identification kits to the picnic.
Thank you to Hy Vee at Stockyards Plaza for sponsoring the picnic again. Thank you to Dairy Queen, Burger King, The Omaha Royals Baseball team, Stan’s Bakery, Pizza Hut, KFC/Taco Bell, and Red Robin for providing coupons as incentives for the reading program!
Congratulations to all the winners and to everyone who participated! It was a great year and we are already looking forward to next year when the theme is, “Get Creative @ Your Library.”