The Woodstock Library Fair will bring a 95-year-old tradition to the institution’s new Dixon Avenue location on Saturday, July 25, with live music, bounce houses, a water slide, and, of course, plenty of books for sale.
The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Musical acts include kindie band Ratboy Jr., the Rock Academy Showband, Phoebe Siegal, Blueberry, Victoria Levy, and Robin the Hammer. Attendees can also have their star charts read and enter a raffle with prizes including a Woodstock Weekend Getaway and a Lakeside RV Maine Getaway.
The fair was first held in 1931. This year’s theme, “We Belong Together,” was inspired by a mural at the entrance to the children’s wing by comic artist Will Lytle that depicts Woodstock and its wildlife.
“We live amongst all these other creatures and we live in this beautiful area,” said Michael Hunt, the fair’s director. “We can go to a spa two minutes from here and have an absolutely exquisite experience, and then there’s Mama Bear and cubs walking around. We wanted to come up with something that encompassed that.”
Hunt has served as fair director since its 80th year and is president of the Friends of the Woodstock Library, a fundraising group that supports the library. An artist who curates music festivals, he works closely on the fair with his daughter, Devon Hunt, 19, the assistant fair director, and his son, Kiernan Hunt, 12.
“There’s been an overwhelming amount of support from local businesses,” Devon Hunt said. “There is this sense that we’re part of something bigger. It helps us raise money without having to spend any of it on prizes.”
The fair, the library’s largest annual fundraiser, will honor musician Michael “Clip” Payne, a longtime member of Parliament-Funkadelic; Alan Sussman and Annie Blythe for their contributions to the library and their work as community activists and human rights attorneys; Leslie Siegel for her volunteer work; and the late Michael Perkins for his contributions to the town and library.
“We’re caretakers of the tradition,” Michael Hunt said. “It’s a summer party, and if you’re growing up here, it’s a part of your childhood. I talk to people of all ages that grew up here and it was a big deal. The fair was one of the days in the summer when everyone would get together and you would see old friends and meet new ones.”
Money raised at the fair pays for equipment and other library needs, including computers and chairs.
“We’ve never said no to anything we’ve been asked for,” Hunt said. “We feel like we’re the wish fulfillment center of the library.”
Parking is available at Overlook Methodist Church, Rick Volz Field, and the lot in front of Bangkok Market, formerly Dixon Roadside. Street parking isn’t permitted on Dixon Avenue or elsewhere in the Bearsville Flats.
“We always straddle this line between party and fundraiser,” Hunt said. “This is our community and we all belong here together. These are just our years that we’re tending to this thing, and at some point it will be passed on to someone new.”
Eva Fulmer is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach her at eva@theoverlooknews.com.
