Waukee Library to Celebrate 10 Years With Auction Tonight Hosted by Ed Wilson

The Waukee Public Library is celebrating the building’s 10th birthday with a celebrity auction hosted by WHO-TV's chief meteorologist Ed Wilson.

The event runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, at the library, says Director Erik Surber in his blog on Waukee Living magazine.

Among the items auctioned off will be Fareway gift cards, a two-night stay at Honey Creek Resort, a Diamond Accent Heart Pendant, a Craftsman Tool Chest, two tickets to "Jekyll & Hyde" at the Des Moines Civic Center, a Robert Shuler oil painting, and a one-night stay at Riverside Casino & Golf Resort. The total value of these items exceeds $1,600, Surber said.

Guests will enjoy live music by Pamela Prouty, and hors d’oeuvres by Glenda Reiling and Friends. There will be door prize drawings, a slideshow of the history of the building and birthday cake.

The celebrations continue all month with an ongoing game, Your Library: The Price is Right. Prizes will be given away all month long to participants in the game, he said.

The Waukee Public Library first opened its doors in 1929, Surber said. In 1990, library supporters raised $70,000 and helped pass a $30,000 bond issue to purchase the old Christian Church. This moved the library from a tiny corner in City Hall to a 4,000-square-foot facility. In May 2001 Waukee residents overwhelmingly approved a $2 million bond issue for the construction of the current library building, opened in March 2003.

The library is a 14,415-square-foot facility located in the geographic center of the city. The 2003 library gained an addition in 2009, housing the Hal Manders Collection of baseball memorabilia.