Lambert String Quintet Tunes Up For Grand Reopening At Sharon Forks Library

Lambert High School’s String Quintet, The Fab Five, will help staff and patrons at the Sharon Forks Library begin a new chapter in the library’s history when they play at the grand reopening celebration on Saturday, March 24 at 10:00 a.m.
The Fab Five, Serena Gao, Rachel Zhou, Joey Jin, Minjae Kim, and Carson Tufts, will be among the first to perform in the newly expanded and renovated library.
“The library has been such a big part of our lives since elementary school – we were honored to be part of such an amazing event for our community,” says violinist Joey Jin.
“We all think it’s awesome that we get to combine two of our favorite things: music and books. It should be a lot of fun!” adds cellist Carson Tufts.
They will perform inside the library until noon, but additional activities for children, teens, and adults are planned throughout the day.
“The wait is almost over for our patrons and we’re looking forward to celebrating our grand reopening with the whole community,” says Sharon Forks Library branch manager Mendy Gunter.
“We’ll start with The Fab Five and a flag raising ceremony led by Cub Scout Pack 205, then self-guided scavenger hunts and staff-led tours will give the public an opportunity to explore the whole library, even behind-the-scenes areas such as the automated book returns and work areas,” explains Gunter.
Much beloved storytime programs return to Sharon Forks with a special visit from book characters Elephant and Piggie at 10:30 a.m. Patrons will hear special readings of Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books and take photos with the costumed characters in a meeting room that is nearly twice as large as it was before construction began.
“We’ve missed seeing our youngest patrons in our weekly storytime programs, but we’ve been working on new programming ideas and our patrons are going to love what we’ve planned for the spring and summer,” says youth services supervisor Cleo Joyce.
Portions of the grand reopening festivities will highlight not only the expansion of the building, but also new additions to the library’s collection of materials.
“Sharon Forks serves a diverse community and its collection will now include print materials written in Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu,” explains library director Anna Lyle.
Several cultural demonstrations and performances will help celebrate the launch of this new World Languages collection.
First, Yunjuan He, Qi Cui, Zi Chen, and Xinying Ye from the University of North Georgia will share Chinese culture and traditions and offer tastes of five different teas to patrons in the library’s Hot Spot at 11:00 a.m.
The Hot Spot is a new addition to this branch and, like the Hot Spot at the Post Road Library, is a multipurpose space that works well for adult and teen programs, meetings, study sessions, and workshops.
Next, two Indian dance performances will be given in the Meeting Room by Darshini Natyalaya School of Indian Classical Dance at 1:00 p.m. and Atlanta Nritya Dance Academy at 1:30 p.m. Both groups have performed at the library’s annual Diwali celebrations and are enjoyed by both children and adults.
Then, dancers and martial artists from the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu will perform an interactive Chinese Lion Dance at 2:30 p.m. Instructors are expected to share Chinese culture and explain how lion and dragon dances help communities celebrate important occasions. Members of the audience may also enjoy an opportunity to participate in the dance.
Much to the delight of the younger patrons, Elephant and Piggie will return to the Meeting Room at 4:00 p.m. for a Dance around the World party. Children of all ages are invited to dance to music from around the world with two of their favorite characters!
“We hope that everyone will enjoy coming back to Sharon Forks for programs, for books, and to become an active participant in the library community,” says information services supervisor Meredith Causey.
Patrons can commemorate their participation in the library’s grand reopening by creating a self-portrait that will become part of a community art display. Patrons of all ages may visit the Children’s area and use the provided supplies to create a self-portrait to contribute to the “Faces of Sharon Forks” display.
Patrons who want a break from celebrating are welcome to visit the spacious new Teen Room to play a board game. Or, join a family-friendly, pirate-themed breakout game or an escape room game for teens based on clues from Stranger Things. New games begin every hour between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the library’s two new Conference Rooms.
At the end of the celebration, Girl Scout Cadette Troop #15517 will lead a flag lowering ceremony at 5:00 p.m.
“We’re so grateful for our patrons who love the library and have been so patient during the construction process. It will be our pleasure to welcome everyone back to a bigger, more beautiful, and more functional library,” says Gunter.
For more information on the Sharon Forks Library Grand Reopening Celebration, please visit www.forsythpl.org.
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