By Anne Gibson The community room and patio where the Friends of the Esmond Station Library would normally do their book sales to benefit the library has never been open since the completion of construction. The continued closure of the library facility is due to restrictions involving Covid19. The Friends have had to find creative ways in which...
By Anne Gibson The Vail Unified School District (VUSD) has been top rated in Arizona for over a decade. How does the District continue year after year to be ranked among the best? A combination of reasons point to Vail’s success. One reason is that VUSD has been operating under a voter approved maintenance and operations override since 1993. By...
By Anne Gibson When their established Colossal Fourth community program was canceled due to the pandemic, a group of dedicated greater Vail area volunteers refused to give up their vision to provide a quality program that would bring people together with community pride. Ever hear of the Prickly Pear JAMboree? Well read on here to know how the...
by Anne Gibson “Hurry Up and Wait” may be appropriate. Here in the Southeast Pima County service area, the staff members of the Gibson-Esmond Station Library are ready and anxious to open fully in order to adequately serve you. The key word is fully. On May 14th, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry continued health and safety measures...
By Anne Gibson A new cement slab has been poured at the front entrance of the Gibson-Esmond Station Library. The cement slab, when cured, will hold 30 standard and five large lockers to allow library clients the option to pick up their reading materials at any time of day or night with just a swipe of their library card. “When reserved items...
By Anne Gibson There is no question that the Covid19 pandemic has disrupted life as we once knew it. As a nation and a part of the global world, humanity struggled with how to survive and find a new “normal.” The struggle took form in large attempts as well as small. The Vail Religious Leaders (VRL) was formed twenty-two years ago by then Vail...
By Anne Gibson It was the first day of February when Erika Blake was driving home at night from a trip to Yuma, anxious to return to Vail to her husband Karsten Blake and their daughter Makaia. As fate would have it, Erika collided with a deer violently rolling her car several times and totaling her vehicle. She was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital...
By Anne Gibson One knows a library is soon to open when the building is completed, and a librarian has been selected to lead the staff. The new library building is near completion and the selection of Mary McKinney by Pima County Library Executive Director Amber Mathewson as the librarian of the W. Anne Gibson-Esmond Station Library brought...
By Anne Gibson In October of 2020, Vail Pride Day seasoned co-chairs Linda Kubiak and Heather Stough began to think about Vail Pride Day 2021. The goal was to continue a program begun 23 years before by the Vail School District. The February program at the Pima County Fairgrounds grew to 15,000 participants last year when it was held at the very...
By Heather Stough The W. Anne Gibson-Esmond Station Library is just a few short months away from opening its doors. Due to COVID-19 a ribbon cutting date has not been set, but plans are being made for opening in early 2021. The first library in Vail, located at 10931 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, has been a long awaited, long advocated for, and much...
