Yesterday evening, I got to help out at the Lawrence Public Library’s Last Bash of Summer block party. I’ve got to hand it to our adult programming librarian, the youth services coordinator and department, and anyone else who had a hand in planning it – they sure know how to put together a party!

The city let the library block off the street to set up a stage for performances by three local bands, Hospital Ships, The Dan Ryan, and Danny Pound and the Wild Card Catalog – a reunion of the library director’s band from the 90’s, Vitreous Humor. The library partnered with local businesses to provide free kettle corn, cotton candy, and soft drinks, and Local Burger, a restaurant across the street, provided 1,000 hot dogs – which were delicious. I was assigned adult beverage patrol, as the library also got a permit to let Free State Brewing sell beer during the party, and fortunately I had no major issues – the crowd was a good one. People as young as infants and as old as seniors hung out for two hours, enjoying the snacks, making crafts, and listening to music.

Danny Pound and the Wild Card Catalog – Library Director, Brad Allen, on the far right.

The Last Bash is an annual end of summer celebration that the library hosts. It’s a wonderful way to both bring the people in the community together and reward them for their participation in the summer reading program. Over 1,000 children and teens and more than 800 adults have finished this year – breaking our records yet again. You can view more of the photos from the party on the library’s Facebook page.