To help celebrate the 4th of July, the Hailey Public Library has invited local author and historian Rob Lonning to lead a 90-minute walking tour through historic downtown Hailey. Participants should meet on the Library’s west patio, ready to leave at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 27. The tour will begin with a look at some of the Library’s collection of Martyn Mallory turn-of-the-century images taken in Hailey around the 4th of July.
“Rob led a terrific walking tour for us back in 2019 when the Library celebrated its 100th anniversary and we’re delighted to have him back,” commented Kristin Fletcher, the library’s programs and community engagement manager, “The City of Hailey has thoughtfully preserved many historic buildings and Rob is so knowledgeable that he’s able to paint with words a vivid picture of how the town once looked.”
Since moving to the Wood River Valley over 20 years ago, Rob Lonning has been keenly interested in Hailey history and Martyn Mallory’s iconic photographic images of Hailey and Central Idaho taken in the 1880s-1930s. He was chair of the Hailey Historic Preservation Commission and played a key role in recognizing the name ‘Werthheimer Park’ for the area at the entrance to Hailey which houses the skate park, ice arena and rodeo grounds. His pictorial book Images of America – Hailey was published in 2012.
For more information, visit www.haileypubliclibrary.org.