EAST PALESTINE — Ever since establishing EPGO, Barb Kliner hasn’t stopped, epitomizing the word “go” in the name of the group created to serve the aging population in East Palestine.

On Monday, Kliner shared EPGO’s latest initiative – a book project to collect and preserve short stories from the village babyboomers and others.

“The EPGO group discussed this and wants to create a legacy for future generations,” Kliner said. “We want to create a book that shares memories and stories about our community and the people who have been a part of East Palestine history. We want to share the kind of stories that we discussed when we had Sunday family suppers and sat around the table and talked.”

Kliner is asking for contributions from the community with the goal of publishing a book that will be available in the fall of 2026. The book will be called “East Palestine Remembers.”

Those wishing to contribute a story for the collection can hand write it or type it out. Hard copies of stories can be mailed to EPGO, Barb Kliner, 116 Claybrook Drive, East Palestine, Ohio, 44413. Contributions can also be emailed to epgogroup@gamil.com. Contributors are asked to keep the memories short, ideally two paragraphs.

“We don’t want a 10-page essay about your favorite teacher in elementary or things like that,” Kliner said. “I have had people tell me about their first job selling ice cream from the Akenhead’s horse-drawn wagon, getting their first TV with an antenna and aluminum foil and unique ways they survived the COVID shutdowns, along with a special memorable football game,”

Kliner explained EPGO wants stories that focus on the village’s past and the days of yesteryear that are now gone to time and advancing technology. She wants to hear about “daily living such as the stores where you shopped, how clothes and styles charge and the introduction of new products.” EPGO is looking for stories of old cars, old stomping grounds like the drag strip and the Peacock Room, and maybe even an adventure or too from the old ski club’s trip to Innsbruck, Austria.

“We lived in a time of huge changes that affected our daily lives,” Kliner said. “We went from transistor radios to Sony Walkmans, mp3 players, palm pilots, commodore 64 desktops, IBM and Apple products, cell phones and now laptops, iPads, Kindles and artificial intelligence and things are still changing.”

Contributions, Kilner said, can be triumph or tragic, happy or sad because life is often both and the goal is to capture the lives lived in the village.

“I am officially asking for everyone to sit back and remember their life here,” she said. “Think about what you would like future generations to know about their ancestors.”

Kilner said she “would love to hear from current residents, former residents, neighboring communities members or anybody that has an honest and truthful East Palestine story.”

EPGO will also come to residents who have stories to tell and help record the memories.

For more information, call Kliner at 234-855-4777.