Carmichael Library - part 2

Yesterday was the big grand opening of the library and what a party! There are parties when you hope someone shows up and there are parties when you're glad someone shows up and there are parties when you almost wish so many people hadn't shown up. I think this was one of the last kind. I didn't see any official statistics in the paper this morning but people who probably would have known yesterday were estimating the crowd at over 4,000. Of course they all weren't there at the same time but it seemed like it. People stood outside the library for over an hour before the doors opened. It was like some sort of grand opening sale. I guess some were worried that there wouldn't be any books left to check out.

Other than the fact that you couldn't move around inside the library until an hour after it opened and some people were really crabby, it was a successful party. The Friends of the Carmichael Library (our branch affiliate to the organize I'm treasurer for) occupied the patio off the main entrance for the purpose of selling donated and surplus books. They sold hundreds of books.

In the community room, there were plates of fruit, cookies, and cake which were emptied as fast as the caterers could fill them. Same for the punch bowls. Outside in the parking lot, children's entertainers kept some of the little ones entertained under the large tent that had been set up for that purpose while a local radio station van DJ'ed from another section of the parking lot. People were parking in the overflow lot of the overflow parking area of the church next door which had kindly offered parking for the event since the library parking was overfilled an hour before the party started.

We saw all sorts of people we knew including, of course, Ed, Tiffany, Tim and Jake. There were also several neighbors and church friends. I made sure I congratulated Anne Marie Gold, Executive Director, and Alison Landers, Associate Executive Director of the Sacramento Public Library. They actually recognize me (when I wear my Friends of the Library t-shirt.)