A quarter century ago, soon after the Milanof-Schock Library moved to its current location, a group of people got together to share their love of books and their support for the library. As the Friends of the Milanof-Schock Library marks its 25th anniversary, the group invites all present and past Friends to a reunion. The event will be held at the library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy, on Monday, Aug. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m.

"It's a drop-in," explained Joyce Summers, Friends president. "We're going to have some light refreshments and some surprises." Scrapbooks created by the members will also be on display.

"We have those going back to the start of the Friends," Summers shared. "We invite people to look at those, reminisce and socialize."

The library moved to its current home in February of 1999, and the Friends group incorporated in August of that same year, stated Joyce Hershey, who was the first president of the group.

"We started out with five people who were the officers," Hershey recalled. "Maureen Albert, who was on the board of the library at the time, was a big help in getting the Friends started. She and I really worked together." Along with Hershey, the original officers were vice president Gail Merchant, secretary Kim Beach, treasurer Tracey Buller and public relations officer Donna Little.

Over the years, the Friends group has grown significantly, and it now includes about 20 active members. The group has supported the library with fundraisers including antique appraisals, bake sales and a bookstore. A monthly silent auction features items donated by Friends of the library that are displayed in a case in the lobby, and the Friends group hosts an annual book sale in the spring.

This year's sale, held in June at Donegal High School, was its most successful to date. The group had a lofty goal in mind - presenting a check for $25,000 to the library to celebrate the 25th anniversary. They not only reached that goal, but also surpassed it, raising just over $26,000. With that amount, the Friends group has donated a total of more than half a million dollars to the library, Summers said.

Pulling off a large fundraiser like the book sale is a team effort, said Friends member Diane Rice. "We want to thank Donegal High School and the custodial staff," she stated. "We want to thank the Rotary Club and John Coleman, who brought in kids from Donegal Performing Arts to help move boxes and set up the sale." JB Hostetter and Sons donated tables for the book sale, and the library board supported the sale with donations of concessions. "We also had many volunteers from the community who came in and put books out and manned the tables," Rice said. "We really appreciate everyone who helped."

Summers invites anyone who has been a part of the Friends group to come to the reunion. "Come meet old and new Friends and see what we're doing now," she said. "You can look at the scrapbooks and see there are so many things the Friends have done over the years to raise money for the library, which we all know provides such a good community resource for lots of things beyond books."

The Friends reunion will be part of a weeklong birthday bash at the library. To register for the reunion, contact Kim Beach at 717-725-5124 or mslfriends99@gmail.com. For more information, visit https://mslibrary.org.