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Calhoun County library hosts American 250 Freedom Truck; organizers report about 1,168 visitors
Summary
Wendy Eubanks, director of the Calhoun County Public Library, said the library hosted the American 250 Freedom Truck on April 28–29, drawing roughly 1,168 visitors across two days and large school participation despite state-testing scheduling challenges.
Wendy Eubanks, director of the Calhoun County Public Library, said the library hosted the American 250 Freedom Truck on April 28 and 29 and recorded substantial community turnout: "I was told at the end was 1,168 people were able to visit the Freedom Truck within two days in our small rural county," she said.
Eubanks said the library was selected as a stop for the two-day exhibit and promoted the event for weeks through the local newspaper, social media, email, radio and the local television news channel to maximize attendance. "We worked really hard and we wanted as many people as possible to be able to come to this exhibit," she said.
The truck was on site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; mornings (about 8 a.m.–1 p.m.) were reserved for scheduled field trips and the exhibit was open to the public from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., a schedule Eubanks said was set for safety when groups of children visited. The library coordinated with the county school district and a neighboring district to schedule visits around state testing, and welcomed homeschool groups, an American Legion group and a women's club.
Eubanks said the library arranged for entire grade cohorts to visit when possible, including fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh- and tenth-graders, and that elementary students could sign the Declaration of Independence and receive photos or video to take back to school. She described the exhibit as "very well made" and said staff videotaped or photographed children signing the Declaration to provide keepsakes for schools.
The library also invited county constitutional officers, county commissioners, school board members, the mayor and city council members to preview the exhibit and help promote the event. Eubanks said the early VIP visit helped "hype up the excitement," especially among children who saw the truck from school buses passing the nearby elementary school.
Eubanks framed the effort as aimed at providing access to every child in the county, while acknowledging scheduling conflicts around state testing limited some school visits. "It was a lot of work to do ahead of time, but it was definitely worth it," she said.
Eubanks closed by saying the community response was overwhelmingly positive and that the library was grateful for the opportunity to host the exhibit.
