I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Libby Mitchell, Executive Director of the West Cornwall Public Library Association, known as the Hughes Memorial Library to most of us. Libby has found it difficult to produce programming from the Library building itself on account of a lack of water and toilets there. She told me the Library has decided to fund other community service projects and two of them will be housed just up the street at the old pottery shop in West Cornwall.
While the back of the building is being used as an annex of Janet Sanders’ One Eleven Group to maintain social distancing among her staff, the two rooms in the front will be used by the Library. The room on the left is being called The Union and offers meeting space with high-speed internet. The room will be cleaned and sanitized after each use and will only be available to one person or group at a time. Length of booking time will be flexible and initially Libby will manage the calendar through her email at westcornwallunion@gmail.com.
The room on the right will be called the “The Local, A Cornwall Collective Market” and will in Libby’s words, “be a year-round farmer’s market, think shelf-stable products, pottery and art.” She would even be able to accommodate vendors with products that need refrigeration or are sold frozen. According to Libby, Dee Salomon has been brought in to help with merchandising and if you have product, vendor and or programming ideas or time to volunteer, Libby would like to hear from you.
The Local is planning an opening day event December 5 from 11 A.M. to 5 P.M. Emilie Pryor will have a pop-up holiday decoration store in place with all proceeds earmarked for operating expenses of the Local. See you there.
—Bob Meyers
📸: Photos by Bob Meyers
