In 1894, A. S. Mercer published “The Banditti of the Plains, or, The Cattlemen’s Invasion of Wyoming in 1892” which was an eyewitness account. The book is available at the library to read and pass along. Historian Rick Kaan has been researching “Banditti” for quite some time and will share his research on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. at the library. Rick has also compiled information that is available at the library for your perusal. Kaan, a native of Niobrara County was raised on a ranch south of Lusk where the Texas Trail crossed the eastern Wyoming plains for several miles. Plan now to attend his talk!
“Buffalo Bill” Boycott and Dr. Jo will perform in concert on Sunday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m.at the Congregational Church, 120 E. 5th St., Lusk. This musical presentation features Wyoming and western songs about cowboys, the Oregon Trail, the Transcontinental Railroad, Lewis and Clark, stories in Traditional Native American Indian Sign Language, Cowboy Poetry and World-Class Yodeling. “Buffalo Bill” and Dr. Jo are winners of a Western Music Association Harmony Duo Award and Bill is a WMA Male Yodeler Award Winner. They perform on the fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar with superb harmony vocals. This is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Wyoming’s history as well as our proud Western Heritage.
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, May 5 when the Wyoming Piatigorsky Spring 2026 Tour comes to Lusk. The concert will be held at the Congregational Church and will feature Mezzo-Soprano Katherine Calcamuggio Donner and Pianist Gabriel Evens. This free event is sponsored by the Muriel & Seymour Thickman Family Charitable Foundation and is coordinated by the Wyoming Arts Council and the Niobrara County Library.
A new novel is “The Girls Before” by Kate Alice Marshall. Stranger is trapped in the dark with only her imagination and the scribbles left on the wall by long-dead girls. Audrey Dixon, a Search and Rescue expert, stumbles upon evidence in the forest that a teenage girl – a presumed runaway – may have been kidnapped. As she hunts for the girl that no one else is looking for, she will have to dig through decades of secrets to reveal what happened to the girls before. “The Girls Before” is also available digitally in Libby.
Other new fiction books are “Faithful of Heart” by Tracie Peterson, “Trust No One” by James Rollins, “Highwood Holiday” by Gayle M. Irwin, “Painting the Town Red” by William W. Johnstone, “Her Last Cry” by Pamela Fagan Hutchins, “The Man from Dakota” by Peter Brandvold and “Holding the Reins” by Paisley Hope. “The Wingfeather Saga” by Andrew Peterson is among new young adult books.
Among the newer non-fiction books are “A World Appears: a Journey into Consciousness” by Michael Pollan and “Mercer’s Belles: the Journal of a Reporter” by Roger Conant.
The Lenna Lewis Slagle Children’s Library has these new books “Mo and the Crow: the Mystery of the Lost Locket” by Scout Louie and “The Big Bad Wolf Murder” by P. G. Bell. A few of the newer picture books are “A Waffle Lot of Love” by Ben Clanton, “Winter Wonder” by Anna Membrino, “Pink is Not a Color” by Lindsay Ward and “Bear Worries” by Natalia Shaloshvili.
“Thundercake” is the theme for Storyhour on April 14, 2026. Storyhour is held from 10 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday throughout the year for preschool-aged children. The Friends of the Library sponsor the 24/7 storyline, Dial-A-Story. Call 307-334-3274 anytime to hear a recorded story!
Visit the library’s website at https://niobraracountylibrary.org to browse local history as well as business history. In the genealogy section you’ll find obituaries, birth records and cemetery records. Check it out today!
Library hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.