Happy anniversary Wright Library!
Eighty years ago, the doors of Wright Memorial Public Library opened for the first time. The building's opening on Feb. 14,1939, was the culmination of many years of hard work to bring a full-fledged library to Oakwood.
How thankful we are today to those who paved the way for this building and for those like you who have sustained the mission for eight decades! You can read the fascinating story of one of those early library champions in this month's Dayton Jewish Observer.
This month we will kickoff a year of celebrating with two events - and you are invited to both!
80th Birthday Party
2 p.m.- 4 p.m. Feb. 9
This family-friendly open house will feature local barber shop quartet Grand Slam; library and world history displays; children's activities; and an oral history recording booth. See Orville Wright's book collection on display in the south reading room as well as the original note from the Garden Club of Oakwood suggesting the name Wright Memorial Library. Arrive by 2 p.m. to help us sing Happy Birthday with Grand Slam and stick around for their full set of songs -and of course, a cupcake! Thank you to Dorothy Lane Market for the anniversary cake and to Toasty Barker Boutique for loaning vintage items from the 1930s and 40s for display.
80th Candlelight Commemoration
6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Feb. 14
How fitting that Wright Library opened on Valentine's Day? Eighty years to the day, in the very same rooms, we will hear the story of how Wright Library came to be and of the influential people who made it happen. We'll hear the story of how the lights went out at the opening, causing the crowd of 200 to scurry back to their homes for candles. Enjoy light refreshments, a hands-on vintage valentine craft, a look back at 1939 from the Oakwood Historical Society, and more!
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