For 85 of its 100-plus years in existence, the Woodstock Library has celebrated an annual Library Fair at which locals are offered “a new lens on their lives, a brief respite from the workaday world of commerce.” This year is no exception. With “Dreamworld” as a theme, the library and grounds will be transformed by volunteers from Friends of the Woodstock Library into an enchanting dream-come-true for the whole community.
Festivities kick off this Saturday at 9:45 a.m. with a Children’s Parade that will march from the upper Comeau parking lot to the Fair. Parents need to deliver their kids by 9:30 a.m. to participate. A Maypole dance comes next on the Library lawn, featuring Tracy Bonham on violin. The Library proper will be closed during the Fair, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to make way for a Food Fair of gourmet treats from area restaurants, summer grill delights and Lekker’s food truck filled with delicious delectables, beer and wine; thousands of used books for sale at rock-bottom prices in the Book Barn; rummage and white elephant sales; an exhibitors’ tent with local vendors and authors; children’s activities including Gerald & Piggie costume characters, hatmaking, dressmaking, face-painting, pony rides, a Bounce Castle and paint-a-car; and other “Fairtivities”: Buddha Boards, a Woodstock-themed crossword, dreammakers, dreamweavers and dreamtakers. And it wouldn’t be Woodstock if a full day of live music weren’t happening, featuring the sounds of the Dave Leonard Dance Party, Mr. Roper, the Dharma Bums, the Dub Mob, Luise Mojica and a special tribute to his Dad by Ben Sebastian.
Each year, the Friends of the Woodstock Library honor a longtime Woodstock resident who has used his or her talent and energy to give back to the community. Woodstock abounds with people who devote their lives to others through their music and art and good works. This year the Friends are pleased to have chosen two such honorees: Sonny Rollins, a jazz legend and Medal of Arts and Kennedy Center Honoree, and songwriter, performer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Sebastian. As members of the Woodstock community, they have each contributed in innumerable ways to support local causes and non-profit organizations. As world-renowned musicians, Rollins and Sebastian have impacted generations of music listeners and musicians. Rollins will be presented in the morning at 11:45, and Sebastian will be presented at 3 p.m.
And don’t miss the Woodstock Library Fair’s Great Expectations Raffle with these great prizes: a VIP Night at the Museum sleepover for four at the American Museum of Natural History, Midnight Ramble tickets, Woodstock vacation packages and dinner at the Rainbow Room. Tickets cost $5 each or five for $20, and are available for purchase at the Library and at the Fair. Ticketholders need not be present to win.
85th annual Library Fair, Saturday, July 23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., $2, Woodstock Library, 5 Library Lane, Woodstock; (845) 679-2213, info@woodstock.org, www.woodstock.org/85th-annual-woodstock-library-fair.
Join the family! 
