EGG HARBOR, Wis. — A vintage 1964 bookmobile is once again capturing imaginations in Door County this summer.
After several years of restoration work, the Door County Bookmobile is back on the road, sparking memories in older residents while spurring on the imaginations of young people.
“It’s very heartening when people see it either traveling down the road or at one of our events; they are so anxious to get inside the bookmobile and take a look at it, mainly because it brings back so many great memories,” said Carey Bertschinger, vice president of Door County Bookmobile.
The first bookmobile started rolling across Door County in 1950. It was replaced by a newer vehicle in the mid-1960s and stayed in operation until 1989.
It’s the second bookmobile that has been restored.
For older people, there’s the history that goes with the bookmobile when it traveled tthroughout the county.
“For the younger kids, some of them have never been on a bookmobile before,” Bertschinger said. “They’re going inside and seeing books galore and wondering when, and if, they can get a book all their own.”
The Egg Harbor Historical Society purchased the vehicle in 2014 from an educator and historian. Restoration efforts got underway in earnest in 2022 with the Door County Bookmobile becoming its own nonprofit organization at the end of last year.
“We’re trying to really live up to the historical nature of this. We’re trying to make sure that when people come on the bus that its is a memory," Katy Dahlstrom, the bookmobile program coordinator, said. “I’ve had people step onto this bus and be like, ‘This is exactly what I remember.’ They look for the bus driver. They’ve asked me where the bus driver is.”
Sue Woerfel is a bookmobile board member and a life-long Door County resident.
“My kids went on this,’ she said. “They’ve seen the progress; they’ve visited. They’ve been to the parade. They’re very excited, as are all the kids that age. As we talked about, it’s multi-generational.”
The appeal across ages is something board member Drew Richmond has noticed at public events.
“You’ve got 4-, 5-, 6-year-olds who are excited. The grandparents are going, ‘I remember the bookmobiles.’ The shocker to me was the middle group,” he said. “The kids' parents, the grandparents’ kids, those 20-, 30- and 40-year-olds. Those folks were equally as excited and they don’t know about this. It’s new to the kids, but it’s also new to their parents.”
Future programming for the bookmobile is still a work in progress but is focused on history, education and community.
“Education-wise, we’re piggybacking on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program where the kids graduate at 4 years, 11 months,” Bertschinger said. “Our goal is to get two books a year in those children’s hands so that they continue to read.”