In an effort to reach across Bosque County with the gift of movies, Bosque Film Society donates 200 DVDs to the Valley Mills Public Library
By NATHAN DIEBENOW
Bosque Film Society Founding Board Secretary
VALLEY MILLS – The Bosque Film Society rang in the new year by reinvigorating the Valley Mills Public Library’s film collection.
The new film appreciation group donated 200 DVDs so the residents of Valley Mills can seek art and entertainment closer to home at their local library.
“On behalf of the Valley Mills Public Library’s board of directors, I thank the Bosque Film Society for this generous donation,” Clova Gibson, president of the Valley Mills Public Library, said. “What a wonderful way to begin National Library Lovers Month too!”
Considered classics by critics and audience alike, the films the Society donated comprise a wide range of genres and eras aimed to satisfy households and families of all shapes, sizes, and tastes.
Kathleen Hale, director of the Valley Mills Public Library, said she and volunteers will have all the DVDs ready for check out to the public as soon as possible.
“Thank you – the Bosque Film Society – for the DVDs. They are a wonderful addition to the library. We hope that families will enjoy them – and a visit to the library!” Hale said.
The library’s present policy is that DVDs must be checked out by adults only for their family. To view the DVDs and other materials, visit the library’s online catalog: https://valleymills.biblionix.com/catalog/.
The idea for the DVD donations developed after BFS secretary Nathan Diebenow noticed that the Waco/McLennan County Public Library had raised its fees for users who reside outside McLennan County. In late 2021, these fees jumped from $40 a year to $100 a year.
“Everyone deserves to experience movies regardless of where we live, where we’re from, or what’s in our wallets, so I approached my film friends to help our fellow movie lovers in the southern part of Bosque County,” Diebenow said.
BFS president Brett Voss said the board voted unanimously to make the DVD donations to the public library in Valley Mills because doing so aligns with the Society’s mission –to spread film appreciation to all corners of Bosque County and to promote the county as a film-friendly community to production companies in Texas.
“Helping Valley Mills’ public library stock up on DVDs fits right in with our purpose,” Voss said. “We’re already sponsoring free screenings for families at the CLIFTEX Theatre in Clifton as well as at the Outdoor Movie Nights at the John A. Lomax Amphitheater in Meridian. Advocating for movie lovers and making films more accessible to everyone in Bosque County will always be a mainstay goal for the Bosque Film Society.”
Voss added that Valley Mills also holds a very important piece of our local film history because it was once home to Hollywood film actor Fred Ward.
Ward attended Valley Mills public schools in the 1960s before launching his acting career. Among his more popular films are ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979), THE RIGHT STUFF (1983), TREMORS (1990), and SWEET HOME ALABAMA (2002).
The Bosque Film Society started in 2020 as a “booster club” for The CLIFTEX Theatre –Texas’ oldest continually operating picture show. The Society has since gained non-profit status as well as recognition across Texas for its film appreciation events and its enthusiastic membership base.
The Valley Mills Public Library’s history goes to 1989 as a project of the Community Development Association. The library is currently supported by the City of Valley Mills and the Library Association.
In recent years, the Valley Mills Public Library has partnered with area residents to provide workshops on painting, learning foreign languages, and downloading the Libby app for reading ebooks through the Central Texas Digital Consortium.
The Valley Mills Public Library’s winter hours are Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.; most Saturdays, 10:30 p.m. – 2 p.m., except holiday weekends. On Sunday and Monday, the library is closed. For special children’s programs and art lessons, watch the library’s websites and Facebook.
To sign up for a library card, visit the library located by Santa Fe Park across from the post office two blocks south of Highway 6 and historic downtown Valley Mills, The library’s physical address is 405 5th Street, Valley Mills, TX 76689.
For more info on the Valley Mills Public Library, visit www.valleymillspubliclibrary.org. For more info on the Bosque Film Society, visit www.bosquefilm.com.