Susan McDaniel Havre Daily News smcdaniel@havredailynews.com
The love of books and reading, passed from generation to generation and peer to peer, is a lifelong treasure that helps uncover the secrets of the universe. This is only one of the reasons listed for Hill County Commissioners to issue a proclamation Wednesday afternoon declaring March as Big Read Month. This was the first of many activities planned by the Havre- Hill County Library and the Big Read Committee for a community wide project based on the novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” Among other activities planned in the days ahead are showings of the original “Grapes of Wrath” movie starring Henry Fonda. The movie will be shown Friday and Saturday at both 4 and 7 p.m. on the big screen in the auditorium of the Hensler Applied Technology Center on the MSU-Northern Campus. Popcorn and soft drinks will be served during the showing with the popcorn donated by Cottonwood Cinema 4 Theatres and the soft drinks by the Coke and Pepsi Companies. The moves are free and open to the public. Three open houses are also scheduled to begin this weekend. The Railroad Museum open house will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday with a presentation by Dr. Robert Henderson on “Railroads and the Depression.” Special displays can be seen throughout the month. The Havre-Hill County Library open house will begin at noon on Saturday with presentations by Jack Brandon and Arlie Lane. Lane will talk about her childhood and going to the movies. She will also have some artifacts from the depression days. Brandon has a display of childhood photos, he will tell stories heard from his parents and he also will be playing his harmonica. The Library will also have an art display featuring Vince Woodwick and Ruth Possenti. The displays will be available throughout the month. The H. Earl Clack Museum open house will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday with presentations by Toni Hagener and Pastor Al Rosgaard. Hagener will talk about women and the depression during the times with no social services and only wash tubs for doing the laundry. She will also give the history of the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps camps. Rosgaard will talk about being a teenager during the depression growing up on an Iowa farm. Refreshments will be served at all three open houses. All Big Read Events will be free and open to the public
