Why tonight’s Dayton library sneak peek gala event is a big deal

The sold-out gala being planned to introduce the new downtown Dayton Metro Library is shaping up to be one for the books.

If the organizers of “The Main Event” have anything to say about it, their festive event on Saturday, April 22, will definitely qualify.

The idea is to provide patrons with a peek at Dayton’s newest attraction set to open in June and, at the same time to show off its variety of potential new uses.

The extensive, $62-million renovation and expansion is part of the Dayton Metro Library’s system-wide Libraries for a Smarter Future improvement project.

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW LIBRARY

1. The state-of-the-art facility boasts four times the public space of the previous library.

2. The architecture was influenced by the original 1888 Library’s location near the canal. The bend in the Library’s atrium is an architectural nod to the canal that ran along what is now Patterson Boulevard.

3. The upgraded main library will be cutting edge and people will be lured back by its diverse mix of programming, community spaces, maker spaces, events and other attractions. There will be a cafe, a super cozy reading room complete with fireplace, a children's play area, gaming area, video room and so much more.

EXCLUSIVE: Live tour inside of the new main Dayton Metro Library in Downtown Dayton with Amelia Robinson. Skanska USA is putting in hard work. http://on.dayton.com/2ib9mKN

Posted by Dayton.com on Wednesday, December 21, 2016

4. Showcased in the library’s main atrium is “Fractal Rain” by Terry Welker of Kettering. It’s a huge, kinetic sculpture fashioned from stainless steel wire and acrylic prisms. Other artists represented include Susan Byrnes of Cincinnati, Gretchen Durst Jacobs of Dayton, Katherine Kadish of Yellow Springs, Andrea Myers of Columbus and Paula Wilmot Kraus of Dayton.

>> PHOTOS: Artwork being installed at new library

A FEW THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GALA

1. This event is sold out!

2. Cooking for the crowd will be chefs Jenn Disanto of SageCraft Catering & Events; Matthew Hayden of Scratch Events; Anthony Head of the Ponitz Career Technology Center; Anne Kearney of Rue Dumaine and Maria Walusis of Nibbles Restaurant in Miamisburg.

3. Live entertainment, full open bars, a live auction of art and literary packages, salsa and swing dancing and more.

4. Tours, of course. The entertainment is designed to draw patrons into many of the spaces in the new library. As party-goers tour the three floors, they’ll encounter performances ranging from dance and improvisational theater to silk aerialists and Latin music.

5. Featured performers include The Bob Gray Orchestra; pianist Steffin Johnson; Latin music ensemble Son Del Caribe; The Keigo Hirakawa Trio with JD Allen; guitarist BJSR; Jackson Riffe on marimba; DJ Basim; Femme Fatale Silk Aerialists and Dancers; poets Sierra Leone, Tripp Fontane, Naki Akrobettoe and Nathan Tipton; vocalist Destiny Donelson and ballet dancer Alexis Britford; Tiffany Clark and Christopher "Etch" of The Mural Machine; improvisational artist Justin Howard; Dayton Contemporary Dance Company; Soul Fire Tribe and Zoot Theatre Company.

6. You can make stuff. There will be maker kits in the areas of photography, 3-D printing, etc.

>> RELATED: The Main Event offers a sneak peek at Dayton’s newest attraction