Over 1.3 million readers this year!

Bibliophiles unite! Tickets on sale now for Laramie County Library’s annual Booklovers Bash

Attention all bibliophiles — you are cordially invited to the annual Laramie County Library Foundation’s Booklovers Bash gala and fundraiser. This event is a chance to surround yourself with words and the people who create them. It’s also a chance to support the Laramie County Library System and all of the services that it offers to the people of Laramie County.

“The Laramie County Library Foundation has been putting on this event for more than 20 years,” said Blithe McAndrew, the events and exhibitions manager for LCLS. “It started out small and has become something extraordinary. We host it at the Little America Hotel in Cheyenne, and we usually have around 400 guests.”

Each of those guests has a love for the library and for the worlds that it opens up. Guests also know how much work Laramie County Library System does beyond just checking out books to the public.

“The fundraising that the foundation does supports the programs and services of Laramie County Library, outside of what the tax dollar can provide,” McAndrew stated. “These are the special programs and new services that have been asked for in the community, and different technologies that help us to better serve patrons of the library. The foundation supports the First Steps program, which is an outreach program that provides early literacy to children.”

LCLS offers many other services to the people of Laramie County, including:

  • 3D Printing capabilities
  • On-Demand Document Printing
  • Genealogy and Family History
  • A Computer Center with Wi-Fi
  • Various Book Sales
  • Exhibits and Special Events
  • Notary Services
  • Services for People with Disabilities
  • And More

The library also has its own “Library Cafe,’ as well as a studio, a bookmobile, childcare provider outreach, homebound services and a myriad of other services that would, frankly, be impossible to maintain if it wasn’t for events like the Booklovers Bash and the people who attend it. The success of the event sets the course for the rest of the year and it proves just how vital the community is to the library, and how vital the library is to the community.

“We pride ourselves on putting on a well-organized and well-run event that is fun for everybody who attends,” McAndrew said. “It’s really wonderful to be in a room full of library supporters and book lovers, especially if you’re one of those people yourself, and if those are your people. It’s fantastic to be in that room surrounded by like-minded people, with all of that energy for the library and for books and for writing. We also really enjoy offering people an opportunity to interact with an author that they otherwise wouldn’t have.”

Every year, the Booklovers Bash hosts an author that the library thinks would be especially interesting to attendees. This year, the author in question is Patrick Radden Keefe, a world-renowned writer who has told some incredible stories in a variety of mediums. Keefe is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine, and he recently wrote a book called Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland. The book tells the story of a woman who went missing and was subsequently murdered during the Irish Troubles, which was a conflict that took place in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s until 1998.

A limited FX series based on Say Nothing is set to premiere on Nov. 14 on Hulu, and Keefe will serve as an executive producer.

Keefe has also written a book titled Empire of Pain: The History of the Sackler Dynasty. Additionally, he is the creator and host of an eight-part investigative podcast called Wind of Change. He has served as an executive producer of the Netflix series Painkiller as well.

In short, if this fundraising event is a bash for booklovers, they will be absolutely enthralled by Keefe and the stories that he will tell.

“Patrick Radden Keefe is the biggest author that we’ve ever featured,” McAndrew beamed. “Typically, we have more regional authors, who are incredible. But this year, we have a writer at a national level and we’re so excited for our attendees to meet him.”

In addition to the talk from Keefe, the Booklovers Bash will include an opening reception, a lovingly crafted dinner and the famous Dessert Dash, which is also a highlight of the event.

“The Dessert Dash is another thing that the Booklovers Bash is known for,” McAndrew shared. “It’s a really fun fundraising activity where we have volunteer bakers who bake these absolutely wonderful cakes and other desserts, and they’re on full display at the front of the room during the event. And then, as a table, people bid on the chance to be the first one to choose a dessert. But there aren’t enough desserts for all of the tables, so it’s kind of a fun little competitive thing. People really get into it. Last year, I think we raised about $25,000 from the Dessert Dash alone.”

Last year’s Booklovers Bash, McAndrew said, raised over $100,000 and they hope for a similar result this year. That should be easy to do, as this is one of Laramie County’s most fun and prestigious events and the funds raised go directly back into the community in a variety of ways. Tickets are on sale through Oct. 18. but they’re going quick, so McAndrew urges prospective attendees to secure their seats as soon as possible.

This event, just like in years past, will serve as a celebration of books, of words and of the local library. For decades, a community’s public library has been a pillar of that community. It opens doors to open worlds for people who want to go on adventures from the comfort of their own homes. In more recent years, the library has offered even more services to the community, and the Laramie County Library System in particular has proven itself to be a vital part of the community that it serves. The Booklovers Bash is a celebration of the library and everything that it offers, and you, surely a booklover, are invited.

Tickets for the Booklovers Bash are on sale through Oct. 18 and can be purchased here. For more information on the Laramie County Library, visit their website and follow them on Facebook for daily updates.

PAID FOR BY THE LARAMIE COUNTY LIBRARY FOUNDATION
This article is a promoted post. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the organization that paid for the article, and do not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts or opinions of Cap City News, its employees or its publisherPlease fill out this form if you would like to speak to our sales department about advertising opportunities on Cap City News.

Back

Related