Le Mars Public Library celebrates National Library Week
This week, the Le Mars Public Library is celebrating National Library Week with a slate of special events and activities. Library director Shirley Taylor explained to KLEM what the nationwide celebration is about and what the theme is for this year.
The first event of the week, “Stuffed Animal Story Time Sleepover” for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade, was held last night. Other events planned include “Tech Tuesday” today from 2-4pm, “Share Your Library Joy Day” on Wednesday from 10am-12pm, a special “Andrew Carnegie’s Riches in Iowa” presentation on Thursday, and the “1,000 Books before Kindergarten Graduation” event on Saturday at 10am.
Taylor says the events celebrate what the library has to offer to the community, and the evolving role of the library over its 150 years of operation.
Taylor says the library wants to be an “essential service” to the community.
National Library Week will run from now through Saturday, April 25th, with a full list of events available on the library’s website.
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Downtown traffic signal project to begin next week
Beginning next week, construction will begin on three downtown intersections in Le Mars to install new traffic signals, with dismantling of the existing traffic signals scheduled to start on Tuesday, April 28th at the intersections of 1st Street and Central Avenue, 1st Street and Highway 3, and Highway 3 and Central Avenue.
According to street supervisor Scott Kneip, each intersection will be temporarily converted to a four-way stop using portable stop signs with flashing red lights to maintain traffic control. Roads will remain open to traffic for the majority of the project, however brief detours of up to an hour may occur during the installation of new traffic signal poles.
The project is anticipated to take approximately 127 working days depending on weather, and will be completed in two phases. Residents, businesses, and motorists are encouraged to use caution, follow all posted signage, and allow additional travel time when navigating the downtown area during construction.
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Street closure on 12th Street SE announced
Along with the traffic signal project downtown, a street closure on 12th Street SE in Le Mars was announced yesterday as part of a pavement replacement project.
The closure is in effect immediately, and affects 12th Street SE between 2nd Avenue SE and 4th Avenue SE. Access to the parking lot of the Le Mars YMCA and Convention Center is still available from the intersection of 12th Street and 2nd Avenue. The closure is related to a pavement replacement project that was previously approved during the November 4th, 2025 city council meeting, with the closure expected to last for 25 working days depending on weather.
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