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It’s another grand Throwback Thursday where we encourage you to time travel through Johnson County's history. JoCoHistory is a collaborative presentation of the history from the Johnson County Museum, Johnson County Library and many JoCoHistory partners. Explore historical photographs and documents about the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas, from the 19th century to the present.

Collection spotlight: Overland Park Historical Society

About this collection: Over 1,300 photographs documenting Overland Park life with special emphasis on local businesses, the Strang Line interurban railroad and school personnel.

Begin your journey with the Black & Veatch MakerSpace. No matter if you are an entrepreneur or just a tinkerer getting started, we invite you to take that first step down a path of creativity, curiosity, learning and making. 

The artists and small businesses featured in this video got their start in the Black & Veatch MakerSpace!

• David Christopher Coss – An IT technician by day, Coss’s colleague told him about the free-to-use laser cutter in the MakerSpace for efficiency in his sculptural creations. Coss displays his work in galleries and art fairs across Kansas City. 
• The Puzzle Playground – Business owner Eddie Kempf’s father-in-law had long designed puzzles but had no desire to run a business and wasn’t sure where to start with manufacturing. Once Kempf discovered the free laser cutter at the MakerSpace, they were able to turn their hobby into a full-fledged small business with hundreds of designs. They sell at art fairs and maker markets in the region. 
• Chemically Speaking – Warren and Erika are a husband and wife out of Olathe who had an idea for science and nerd-themed barware. The MakerSpace was the perfect place to test their concept and later launch their business on Etsy, where they are now rated one of the site’s star sellers. 
• Amado Espinoza – Amado Espinoza is a Bolivian multi-instrumentalist, composer and professional instrument builder. When he couldn’t find some of the traditional Bolivian instruments he needed here in the States, he decided to build his own in the MakerSpace. He and his wife utilized the space on a regular basis for a number of creative projects and refer their friends to its resources. 

What will be your journey? 

The Black & Veatch MakerSpace at Johnson County Library offers a wide variety of resources to the community at no additional cost, no matter your age or level of technical skill. Maybe you’ve always had a creative idea but no clue where to start, or want to save money by doing a project or repair yourself. MakerSpace staff can direct you to the right programs and tools to accomplish your goal and help you in every step of the process. 

Here are a few fun ideas on how residents can utilize the Black & Veatch MakerSpace in the new year: 

• Looking to get organized? 3D-print organizational tools customized to fit your space such as drawer dividers, hooks and boxes. Download templates from Maker-recommended sites such as Printables.com or Thingiverse.com and MakerSpace staff can help you set the dimensions you need. 
• The new year is a great time to refresh your style. A tutorial on the MakerSpace Instagram page walks viewers step-by-step through the creation of fun and funky acrylic earrings using the laser cutter, tape and paint. 
• If you’re planning a big trip or family reunion in 2023, use the vinyl cutter and heat press to make personalized shirts for everyone in your group. MakerSpace staff can help you create a unique design, or you can purchase templates online from sites like Etsy. 
• Redecorate by using the CNC router to carve signs or artwork for your home from wood. More ambitious DIYers have even created custom cabinetry! 
• Save money by repairing and tailoring your clothing using one of the MakerSpace’s two sewing machines and serger. Snag a spot in one of the Intro to Sewing classes this spring and you’ll be hemming like a pro in no time. 
• Don’t have time to come into the Space but looking for a creative outlet? Reserve a circulating Maker Kit for fun projects the whole family can do together at home. 

A full list of offerings, equipment tutorials, FAQs and more are available at the MakerSpace section of the Johnson County Library website. While reservations are not required to use the equipment, they are highly recommended. Walk-ins can be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis if there are no existing reservations.  

Johnson County Library’s MakerSpace, located at Central Resource Library, 9875 W. 87th St in Overland Park, is supported through a generous grant from Black & Veatch. The space is open Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Sunday (closed Wednesdays). Hours vary by day – call 913-826-4600 or visit jocolibrary.org/makerspace for more information.  

One of our teen reviewers recently read and reviewed Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval N. Harari.

In the nonfiction novel Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Yuval Noah Harari takes the reader on a journey through the human experience from the homo genus’s creation until now. He accomplishes this by focusing on how the three principal revolutions - cognitive, agricultural, and scientific - came to be and how they shaped our development. The first of them, the cognitive revolution, touches on how we developed our trademark intelligence. The second, the agricultural revolution, touches on how we transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to villages that farmed and herded livestock. Finally, the scientific revolution touches on the start of technological development and scientific exploration.

This novel, Sapiens, is arguably the best book I have ever read. The language is easy to understand, and the content both relatable and fresh; I only have praises. Whether you love nonfiction or are like me and stick mostly to fiction, I believe this is a book everyone should read. The only score it deserves is five out of five stars for its astounding ability to enlighten and inform any reader.

Check out Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind »

Whether it's finding activities to keep them busy or understanding what's going on inside their heads, being a caregiver of young children can be challenging. Each month's caregiver workshop explores a different topic to support and enrich relationships between kids age birth to 6 and their caregivers. In March, discover American Sign Language to use with your baby. Presented by Shira Fogel, founder of Tiny Talkers.

Caregiver Workshop: Intro to Baby Sign Language
March. 1, 7-8 p.m.
Register » 

Johnson County Library’s Corinth branch, at 8100 Mission Road, is popular with patrons from Prairie Village and beyond. It opened Feb. 24, 1963, so 2023 will mark its 60th anniversary milestone.

In the 1950s, before the Johnson County Library had funding, volunteer run libraries were spread through the county. In 1953, a branch was opened in the Prairie Village Shopping Center. It was located in the basement of one of the shops.  When funding was available in 1956, the library moved upstairs to a rented space on the Concourse.

In 1961, voters approved a bond issue that allowed for the site purchase and build of a library in Prairie Village. Corinth opened its doors on February 24, 1963. The branch site and that of the adjacent Corinth Shopping Center were already famous in Kansas City history.  The clothier Herbert Woolf built Woolford Farm on 200 acres and raised thoroughbred racing horses. He hosted lavish parties whose guests included Theodore Roosevelt and many other notables.  In 1938 his horse Lawrin won the Kentucky Derby. Lawrin is buried on the top of the hill just west of the library.

In 1967 Corinth expanded on both the north and south sides to reach its current size of 20,475 square feet. In 1988 it had an interior renovation, with the addition of an elevator and east side windows.  

Read the full article on the JoCoHistory blog.