of Berne. The library provides information services to all ages and holds over 60,000 titles, including print, digital, audio, and visual forms. The Heritage Room of the Berne Public Library contains local history and genealogical information. Culture Swiss Days Celebration The annual Swiss Days Celebration in Berne is held the last Friday and Saturday in July and attracts thousands of visitors every year as locals celebrate their Swiss and American culture. Main Street is closed downtown as numerous vendors, food trucks and carnival rides set up shop. A large tent and stage are constructed for live music (of many genres, including polka). Events include an antique tractor and engine show, car show, horse pull, quilt show, competitive "stein toss" (stone throw), and the popular annual "Swiss Days Race" (5K for adults, 1 mile for children), held every year since 1972 (except 2020 - Covid). The schedule of events can be found on the Swiss Days website, sponsored by the Berne Chamber of Commerce. Das Märit Farmers' & Artists' Market Local produce and art are sold at "Das Märit" market every Saturday from mid-May until early October. The market is located in the First Mennonite Church parking lot in Berne. City parks Muensterberg Plaza and Clock Tower The idea of building the clock tower and plaza was first raised in 2001 while the city of Berne was planning for its sesquicentennial. Wanting to celebrate the city's Swiss heritage, it was decided to model the clock tower after the medieval Zytglogge in Bern, Switzerland, the oldest monument in that city (built c. 1220, repaired in 1405). The clock tower and plaza were given the name Muensterberg (Münsterberg) after the small Mennonite community in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland that Berne's first immigrants came from. After several years of careful planning and fundraising, the clock tower was constructed in 2010. It stands 160 feet tall and 32 feet wide, weighing approximately 1,216 tons (over 2.4 million pounds). It contains carillon bells created by the Verdin Company, which ring on the hour. Local enthusiasm for the project reached its peak during the summer of 2012 when the splash pad was first made operational in the center of the plaza. As early as the summer of 2009, however, several residents were heard to publicly declare their admiration for and dedication to the clock tower, and soon afterward the Clock Tower Enthusiasts Club was formed. In