Everything But Lions at Library Celebration:
The Rye Free Reading Room needs no preface. Rye residents saw a need for a circulating library in the late 19th century, and, before the First World War, a permanent library to serve everyone in the community.
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The Rye Free Reading Room needs no preface. Rye residents saw a need for a circulating library in the late 19th century, and, before the First World War, a permanent library to serve everyone in the community. With land donated by the Parsons family, a brick building was completed in October 1913. Last Saturday, hundreds of families headed to the Village Green, for the first of many celebrations in honor of the landmarked library’s centennial.
Most of the action was outside, where all ages stopped to pat a bunny, listen to three billy goats who were anything but gruff, watch a joey (baby kangaroo) jump, see a snake slither, and catch up with a turtle. And then they danced — to the sounds of The Groove. In between, they ate cotton candy and waited for a balloon to take the shape of their favorite character or animal.
When a drizzle turned into a rain shower, the storybook celebration continued inside the library.
— Photos by Robin Jovanovich
