Once Upon a Town

by Bob Greene

In search of "the best America there ever was," bestselling author and syndicated columnist Bob Greene finds it in a small Nebraska town few people pass through today -- a town where Greene discovers the echoes of the most touching love story imaginable: a love story between a country and its sons.North Platte, Nebraska, is as isolated as a small town can be, a solitary outpost in the vast midwestern plains, hours from the state's urban centers of Omaha and Lincoln. But from Christmas Day 1941 to the end of World War II, a miracle happened there.During the war, American soldiers from every city and walk of life rolled through North Platte on troop trains, en route to their ultimate destinations in Europe and the Pacific. The tiny town, wanting to offer the servicemen warmth and support, transformed its modest railroad depot into the North Platte Canteen -- a place where soldiers could enjoy coffee, music, home-cooked food, magazines, and convivial, friendly conversation during a stopover that lasted only a few minutes. It was a haven for a never-ending stream of weary, homesick military personnel that provided them with the encouragement they needed to help them through the difficult times ahead.Every day of the year, every day of the war, the Canteen -- staffed and funded entirely by local volunteers -- was open from 5 A.M. until the last troop train of the day pulled away after midnight. Astonishingly, this remote plains community of only twelve thousand people provided welcoming words, friendship, and baskets of food and treats to more than six million GIs by the time the war ended.In this poignant and heartwarming eyewitness history, based on interviews with North Platte residents and the GIs who once passed through, Bob Greene unearths and reveals a classic, lost-in-the-mists-of-time American story of a grateful country honoring its brave and dedicated sons.

We're returning to our regular schedule and will meet on May 15th at 12:00 AM. If you want, bring a lunch and join us as we continue our reading adventures. Call if you'd like us to get a copy for you...we're always excited to welcome new members to the group. There's no commitment required to attend every month. Even if you're just interested in this book, come and join us.

Our Mah Jongg Group is up and running!

We can always add more players, so please join us for fun on

Fridays at 1:00 PM. We're featuring fun, friends, and good coffee. Don't miss it. Summer friends are especially welcome.

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E-Readers

Do you have an e-reader? Do you need help downloading FREE library books? Clicking on the Download Library icon at the left will take you to the official Maine State E and Audio book site. They have easy tutorials right online. If do-it-yourself is not your gig, drop by or give us a call and we'll help you get started. We have handouts on sources for FREE ebooks and how to's for each kind of device: Kindle, Ipad, and Nook.

The Library's Kindle is loaded with a variety of books and is now available for checkout. If you've been on the fence about whether to get one or not, stop by and check it out.