Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Health & Fitness at the Library this Fall

Whether your goals are to get in better shape, improve flexibility, strength, balance, nutrition, or you simply want to increase your overall health & happiness...just head down to Whitman County Library!

Fitness Boot Camp

Move It or Lose It

Mindfulness Eating for Diabetes

65+ Fitness: Stay Independent & Active for Life

Intensati Fitness

Blood Drive

Children’s Dance Classes with Rising Stars



All fitness levels are welcome to our exercise classes!

For information on classes and fees, call 397-4366 or 1-877-733-3375.
Some fitness classes free, others require a fee, please contact the instructor for details

Friday, October 25, 2019

Books to Scare Your Socks Off!





This list of horror and true crime novels
is for all of you "grim readers" out there!


Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Missionary Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Honored as Library Supporters

Missionary volunteers honored as Library Supporters of the month for
September 2019
Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have positively impacted the community over the years through the countless hours they volunteer at Colfax Library.

The Staff, Friends, and Board of Whitman County Library present this monthly award as a way of recognizing the generous donors and volunteers who make an important impact in their libraries and communities. To see the complete list of those recognized to date, click here.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Adult Scary Storytime

A spooky story event for adults 21 and over is set for Friday, October 25 at 7 p.m. in The Center at Colfax Library. Too frightening for kids, grownups will hear scary stories by Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, and other authors while enjoying complimentary treats, spirited beverages, and other scary surprises.




For more information, please contact Sarah Phelan at 509-397-4366 or sarahp@whitco.lib.wa.us.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Family Magic Show

It's Third Thursday at the Colfax Library!

Join us for a FREE Magic Show with Dick Frost on Thursday, Oct. 17, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Suitable for the entire family. JES students may ride bus 8 with parental note directly to the library. Call 509-397-4366 for details. Sponsored by Friends of WCL.


Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Voter Forum at Colfax Library October 16

To assist Colfax voters, a candidate forum for the upcoming election will be on Wednesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. in The Center at Colfax Library.

Candidates set to appear are Council Position 4: Mark Mackleit and Andrew Stewart, Position 5: Sarina Roberts and Ben Miller, Position 6: Jim Kackman and Dominic Vilareal and Position 7: Jeremiah Roberts. Tom Huntwork incumbent for Position 7 is unable to attend due to a prior commitment.



The forum is sponsored by the Pullman League of Women Voters and The Whitman County Gazette. For more information, contact Deborah Olson from the League of Women Voters at 509-332-2114 or visit www.lwvpullman.org.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Free Medicare Supplement Assistance Countywide

SHIBA volunteers Dan and Joyce Leonard from Colton, WA
Want to save money on your Medicare Supplement or related costs? Open enrollment for health insurance and Medicare supplement is October 15 through December 7, and SHIBA (Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) volunteers Daniel and Joyce Leonard are coming to all Whitman County communities to help meet the individual needs of current and future Medicare recipients. To receive the best assistance, participants should bring a list of current medications. Drop in anytime during the scheduled hours for assistance.



SHIBA offers free, unbiased, confidential help in making this important decision. Supplement policies need an annual review as they change in cost and coverage every year. SHIBA is a free, unbiased service of the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner and sponsored locally by Aging and Long Term Care of Eastern Washington.


For further details, contact the Colfax Library toll free at (877) 733-3375 or visit the library’s Events Calendar at www.whitco.lib.wa.us. 

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Mindful Eating for Diabetes Series at Colfax Library


Do you have prediabetes or diabetes and want to eat joyfully and mindfully while managing it? Join Brenna VanDalsen, Clinical Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator at Whitman Hospital, for a six week series Mindful Eating for Diabetes Wednesdays at 4 p.m., beginning October 16, at the Colfax Library.

Class is limited to 10 participants so register now. All materials provided FREE by the Whitman Health Medical Center.

Mindful Eating for Prediabetes and Diabetes is a practical mind-body approach that shifts the focus from rigid nutrition rules and strict exercise regimens to awareness of your beliefs, habits, thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. Learning to listen to and understand your “inner expert” puts you in charge of your eating and health decisions.

For additional information or to register, contact Brenna at (509) 397-5743 or via email at brenna.vandalsen@whmc.org. For a list of upcoming events at the Colfax Library, visit the library’s Events Calendar at www.whitco.lib.wa.us, like us on Facebook, or call (509) 397-4366.

Monday, October 7, 2019

Meet Butch T. Cougar

Brownies with Butch at Colfax Library
Tuesday, October 8, 4 to 4:30 p.m.


You know him, you love him...who is it? It's Butch T. Cougar coming to the Colfax Library!

Come get your picture with Butch anytime from 4 - 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8. WSU is collecting footage for a national video so wear your Coug colors and SMILE! Call 509-397-4366 for details. Sponsored by Friends of WCL

GO COUGS! GO COUGS! GO COUGS!



Richard Scheuerman "In the Wake of Lewis & Clark: John Mullan and the Northern Overland Road

Wagon wheel prints still visible as seen in the photo taken near Benge, WA by John Clement

Richard Scheuerman, northwest author-lecturer presents, "In the Wake of Lewis & Clark: John Mullan and the Northern Overland Road," an illustrated presentation on Thursday, October 10 at 7 p.m. at the Colfax Library

Scheuerman, a popular speaker who has authored numerous books and articles on regional Native Americans, pioneers, and immigrant history, now turns his attention to path finder Lt. John Mullan. The intrepid frontiersman led an expedition of nearly 100 surveyors and roadbuilders in 1860 to construct the first wagon road across the northern Rocky Mountains. Connecting Ft. Walla Walla with the headwaters of Upper Missouri River steamboat traffic at Ft. Benton, Montana, Mullan’s “Northern Overland Road” is still visible in many places across eastern Washington.


Scheuerman has collaborated extensively with historian-businessman Alex McGregor and photographer John Clement to document the remarkable story of this legendary 625-mile frontier route that was used by some 35,000 travelers in the 1860s. The road would become the principal route for substantial portions of the Northern Pacific Railroad and I-90 freeway.

Mullan’s contingent included Prussian immigrant Gustavus Sohon, fluent in English, German, and French, who served as expedition artist and Indian interpreter. Drawings by Sohon and John Mix Stanley provide the most comprehensive visual record places and life on of the inland Northwest frontier, and a series of the artists’ original lithographs will be on display as part of the program.

The recent discovery of records from a territorial census-taker offers fascinating insight into the backgrounds of Mullan’s crew as substantial numbers were immigrants from Germany and Ireland. Mexicans Trinidad Castillo and John Sanchez workers as packers, and Jamaican Thomas Towza served as printer.

Historian Alex McGregor’s careful study of ledgers from Palouse Ferry (Lyons Ferry after 1872) in eastern Franklin County and early issues of the Walla Walla Statesman dating back to 1869 reveals the composition of frontier immigrant traffic that passed over the Mullan Road. The lists represent a pioneer “Who’s Who” including the enterprising Schwabacher and Oppenheimer brothers, William “Virginia Bill” Covington, S. W. “Wild Goose Bill” Condit, “Uncle Dan” Drumheller, Ben Burgunder, and Rocky Mountain packers headed to the Kootenai, Blackfoot, and Birch Creek mining districts.

Among the most peculiar beasts of burden on the Mullan Road in the 1860s decommissioned army camels brought north from posts in the Southwest to carry goods to the mountain mining districts. Scheuerman also credits family accounts with his interest in Mullan Road history since his great-grandfather, Norwegian immigrant Andrew Sunwold, served for a time as an itinerant “woodhawk” sawyer on Missouri River steamers in order to provide wood to power the legendary vessels on their Ft. Benton journeys.  

WSU Press will be on site selling copies of "Finding Chief Kamiaken" by Scheuerman and Michael O. Finley and "John Mullan" by Keith Petersen for those interested in further reading.

Sponsored by the Washington-Idaho Chapter of the Lewis & Clark Heritage Trail Foundation, the presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kristie Kirkpatrick at Whitman County Library 509-397-4366.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Science on the Palouse, New Topics the 2nd Monday of Every Month



Learn about "Ecosystem Health in the Age of Antibiotics" from Dr. Jane Lucas on Monday, October 14 at 6 p.m. at The Center at Colfax Library, 102 S. Main Street.

The discovery of antibiotic compounds is one of the most prolific scientific advances in history. Yet, our growing use of antibiotics is leading to unprecedented introductions of these compounds into our environment, the effects of which are under studied. At The University of Idaho, Dr. Lucas explores how naturally occurring and anthropogenically introduced antibiotics shape our soil ecosystems and the functions they perform and how they influence antibiotic resistance in the environment.

Dr. Lucas is a post-doctoral associate at The University of Idaho researching the factors that influence the invertebrate and microbial communities within the leaf litter and soil in agricultural and tropical ecosystems. Her team collaborates with a variety of individuals, including professors, scientists and farmers, to help create sustainable practices that maintain our soil and public health.

This presentation is a part of the “Science on the Palouse” series set for the 2nd Monday of each month with regional experts exploring new topics and issues. Sponsored by Whitman Conservation District, these presentations are geared toward adults but youth 10+ are welcome to attend. For more information, contact the Colfax Library at 509-397-4366 or Brian Bell at Whitman Conservation District at 509-288-4644 or brianwhitmancd@gmail.com.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Read the Book, Meet the Author


On Thursday, Nov. 14 at 12 p.m. Whitman County Library welcomes Everybody Reads author, Luis Alberto Urrea to share with us.

Come to listen, ask questions, and enjoy this talented speaker. Bring a lunch or order a meal at 509-397-4366 (catered by Cornerstone, $11 each, vegetarian options available). Books will be available for sale and checkout at the event.

"Through the magical power of Urrea's writing, we become healed and whole. And we laugh and tear up and shake our heads in wonder all the way to the ending of a book we don't want to end. Urrea delivers on every page." —Julia Alverez, Author of "How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents"

Everybody Reads is a regional program that builds a shared reading experience around a single book to foster curiosity, spark discussion, and celebrate a love of story and community engagement. Everybody Reads is currently celebrating its 19th year, see past author and discover more at www.everybody-reads.org

Urrea will also appear at Dahmen Barn in Uniontown on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 12 p.m. and throughout the Palouse and LC Valley in November 2019. See all dates and locations here: https://everybody-reads.org/meet-the-author/