The Lisbon Public Library will be hosting Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company to perform their new show, Nacho y Yoyo’s Escapades, Thursday, June 25 at 6 p.m. at the library.

Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company has had a partnership with the Lisbon Public Library for decades, beginning when Amy White, the previous library director, discovered the company.

Eulenspiegel’s newest show, Nacho y Yoyo’s Escapades, is a bilingual English/Spanish show in which a chihuahua and an escaped circus monkey find themselves running off together. The show, as well as being bilingual, teaches children about the history of Iowa City’s barrios, or neighborhoods. Within the show will be original songs and a two-part kazoo band.

Monday, June 15, the Lisbon Public Library hosted a special story time from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to introduce children and families to the art of puppetry.

At the special story time, Nehring talked with the children abound different kinds of puppets, and together they made life-sized paper puppets.

“The art form of puppetry is so interesting, and sometimes I think it gets a bad rap,” Meredith Nehring, the Lisbon Public Library’s youth librarian, said, “I mean, puppetry is just taking something—this inanimate object—and making it come to life, which is kind of incredible.”

Puppet shows are sometimes difficult for some audiences, as the puppeteers are oftentimes visible to the viewers. However, that is what provides for the most use of imagination and creativity.

“You sometimes see what’s behind the scenes. […] That’s why I think it’s important for kids to, like, ‘oh, I don’t really see a person there,’ or ‘I don’t see the strings.’ And even if you do, it’s okay,” Nehring said.

For the Lisbon Public Library, bringing in a bilingual show is important.

“When we are in a community that is 2,000 people, it can be really easy to think that this is what the world is; that this is everything,” Nehring said. “The world is big, and there’s different cultures, and languages, and perspectives.”

Washington Elementary in Mount Vernon already teaches Spanish to the children, so for the Lisbon Public Library, it is important to allow them opportunities to put their language skills to use.

As for Lisbon students who aren’t studying Spanish, bringing bilingual opportunities into the library gives them the chance to learn it. A foreign language is not required to graduate from Lisbon High School.

There are other bilingual and multicultural opportunities that the library provides, including sections of books within the library and special events.

For Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 annually, the library brought in dancers to perform a traditional Dia de los Muertos dance.

Additionally, the library has brought in chefs from different countries, including Mexico and Czechoslovakia, to conduct cooking classes to create traditional cuisine from their countries.

Within their walls of books, there are also bilingual and multicultural books for both adults and children. Sometimes, Nehring even reads some of the children’s ones during story times.

“For the younger kids in story time, maybe this might be completely new; but for the older kids, they are learning, ‘Hola! Como estás! Me llamo…’ You know, they just have an opportunity to practice it,” Nehring said.

Monica Leo created Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company in 1974. Leo was joined by Teri Jean Breitbach in early 1975, and from there, the company grew.

According to their website, “Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Company is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art of puppetry through high-quality performances, workshops, and creative events.”