Library mascot Booker will be on hand for photos at the library’s Giving Hearts Day open house.

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

The outlines of Moorhead’s new community center and library – recently nicknamed “The Loop” – have finally broken the surface. Following a season of underground work at Center Avenue and Fourth Street, it’s beginning to take shape within sight of residents eagerly awaiting its Spring 2026 opening.
But as its physical outline becomes clear, the Friends of the Library organization has turned its attention to covering an unexpected yet predictable gap – the difference between the funding secured to to finance it and inflation-fueled increases that have added weight to its cost since the project was launched more than two years ago.
On Thursday, Feb. 13 – Giving Hearts Day – the Moorhead Public Library’s volunteer group is gearing up to help bridge that gap. The 100-plus members of the library support group are hosting an open house from 4 to 8 p.m., with something for library lovers of every age. Plans include a concert by acoustic trio Tucker’d Out, a photo booth featuring portraits with mascot Booker the Owl, a mini book sale, children’s activities and snacks courtesy of the Popcorn Man and Addie’s Sunshine and Treats.
The event is the latest undertaking by the Friends, the contingent of volunteers who pitch in to support the library. Their semiannual used book sales are legendary among area readers, offering every possible genre for young and old at bargain prices. The sales have raised funds for everything from summer reading programs and furniture to the Book Truck, print and ebook collections and visiting authors and performers.
This time around, the nonprofit group’s focus for Giving Hearts Day has turned toward bricks and mortar. With the new community center/library’s doors on track to open in a little more than a year from now, inflation has boosted its ultimate cost beyond the proceeds expected from the sales tax okayed by voters in 2022 and supplemental funding approved by the City Council in 2023.
Volunteer Linda Schell co-chairs the Giving Hearts Day event. “This our second year with Giving Hearts,” she says. “We learned a lot from our trial run last year. For instance, it’s a lot more work than we anticipated, and we needed more volunteers.” Nevertheless, that first go-round raised almost $10,000.
“This time around, I think we’re ready for it,” she predicts. Volunteers will be on hand from 1 to 8 to answer visitors’ questions and give them tours of the present facility. She adds, “As of Monday, we’re already close to $10,000. It’s exciting. Every time we get another email announcing a gift, we do a little cheer.” Their 2025 goal for GHD giving, she says, is $20,000.
In addition to seeking individual donations, members are encouraging library supporters to vote for them in Gate City Bank’s bonus giveaway. The organizations that receive the most votes on the bank’s online site are competing for prizes of $25,000 and $10,000.
Linda, who has lived in Moorhead a little more than two years, is enthusiastic about Friends of the Library, not only for the good the group does, but for how it has connected her to new pals with purpose in her adopted community.
“When my husband and I moved to Detroit Lakes more than 15 years ago, it took forever to get to know people and how to get involved. Then I was asked to join the library volunteers, and it became my second home. When we were coming to Moorhead, I thought to myself, ‘Now I know how to do this.’
“The library truly is the center of our community. It serves all of us, from infants to seniors. No matter what interests you, you’re going to find it here.”
Giving Hearts Day marks the unofficial kickoff for longer-term support as well. According to director Megan Krueger, sponsors are being sought for resources within the new center, which was recently nicknamed The Loop. Gifts of $2,500 or more – payable over the next five years – will be recognized with named plaques in prominent locations. Donors of larger gifts may choose to have the library’s amenities carry their names. Among them: the highly anticipated walking loop, indoor playground, 100-seat presentation hall, main and children’s libraries, and the Fireside Commons.
Megan adds that she and Lake Agassiz Regional Library System director Liz Lynch have a “side project” in mind: “We’d like to raise at least $10,000 in gifts to honor the late Anne Fredine.” The late librarian, she says, was a beloved figure in Moorhead during her more than two decades leading the local library.
More on the Friends of the Library, including membership information, can be found at www.friendsofthemoorheadlibrary.org/. To vote in the Gate City contest, go to woobox.com/8b8mv2.