The Chester Public Library will be holding an event for its new sitting garden area at the facility from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, June 3 on its premises, with live music, games, and food and drink available to the public.

The new sitting area was developed using $15,507 in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) under the supervision of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Connecticut State Library, according to Library Director Stephanie Romano.

“We are grateful that the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen approved our proposal. This additional outdoor workspace will be an asset not only to the library but to the residents of Chester,” she said.

As part of the area will be a carousel table and a solar umbrella with a charging dock, which will provide an alternate working space for library patrons who would prefer to be in an outdoor, open space, as opposed to the confines of being inside the building.

“The idea is to create an outdoor space because our inside is so small,” said Romano. “This is an alternative for those that are uncomfortable being in small spaces or still inside with other people. We see people sitting in their cars accessing our wi-fi, so why not create a place where they can actually get out of their car and sit while the library is closed?”

The project began development in May 2021 after a decade worth of plans for building a new library facility were rejected by the town, according to Sandy Senior-Dauer, chair of the Library Board of Directors. In response to funds not being spent on a new library, Romano and other members of the library took advantage of funding directed toward the current library’s standing during the low visitation period of the coronavirus pandemic, renovating the building with new lighting, painting, and flooring.

Out of that effort came the new seating area, which, along with its table and solar umbrella, will be paved with a concrete pad that will reflect the aesthetics of the building, after which the carousel table will be bolted down.

ARPA funds were also used to include a drive-up book drop that was highly requested by numerous patrons, according to Romano, and placed near the entrance of our parking lot, making returning items more convenient for busy families and for those who may struggle with climbing the library stairs.

The garden party will be part of the First Friday celebrations led by the Merchants of Chester, and is being held with the help of a kindness grant from the Peach Pit Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation of Middlesex County.

“The Peach Pit gave us a grant to do something fun. They have given all the libraries in Middlesex County a grant to spread kindness in the community, just because of the pandemic. So many events were canceled, people were confined indoors, so they wanted libraries to do something fun,” said Romano.

The garden party will feature a variety of games, food and drink, and live music featuring musician Brian Wilkins. Visitors will be given tote bags from the library with the town’s squirrel mascot emblazoned in the center. A journal and a book on kindness will be given as parts of the bag as well.

The garden area, which is currently being used for the library’s Monday morning storytime events for mothers and their toddlers, will also feature a bubble machine and a large tic-tac-toe game board will be placed there as the summer approaches. According to Romano, the library’s summer reading program will also be held in the outdoor area as much as possible, while the screening of movies will also be a possibility.

“There are so many things you can do outside that you couldn’t do inside that might make it so appealing to people. We’re going to make it as accessible to the town as much as possible,” said Senior-Dauer.

The garden party will be held on Friday, June 3, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Chester Library, 21 West Main Street.