Wonderland at the Westmoreland: Osterhout gala takes on whimsical theme

Ryan Evans, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
·3 min read

Sep. 10—WILKES-BARRE — Downtown's very own Wonderland popped at the Westmoreland Club on South Franklin Street on Friday evening, and while there were no Mad Hatters in sight, there was a sold-out event to bring the community together to celebrate the Osterhout Free Library and 40 years of their Ken L. Pollock Children's Wing.

The Osterhout in Wonderland Annual Auction and Gala, named as such for this year's "Alice in Wonderland" theme, was held on the eve of the auction's closing, Saturday, Sept. 10 at noon. The auction opened on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Director of Development and Community Relations at the Osterhout, Amber Loomis, noted the annual happening is the library's largest fundraising event. For the theme, she said, "We wanted to pick something fun and whimsical in honor of the Children's Wing." And of course, 100% of the proceeds go back into the library.

And with those proceeds, Loomis said, the library hopes to be able to finish a project for the Children's Wing.

"One of the projects we're working on at the Osterhout is putting a family restroom in the Children's Wing. We're really, really, really zoned-in on that. Right now, when families come in with their children, if they need to use the restroom, they need to kind of pack their family up and hike to the other side of library ... So, we want to have a safe, convenient space ...," she said.

Loomis also noted this year's Evergreen Honorees, Lissa Bryan-Smith and Richard Smith.

"They're big advocates of the library, super supportive and also incredibly supportive of the community as well. So, we're proud to honor that," Loomis said.

The year's Annual Campaign Chairs were the Borland Family.

Gala Chair, Molly Hoegen, remembered the "many years" she spent at the library as a child, and then the years she spent there with her children when they were young. "I've spent a lot of time in the Children's Wing, so, I've always wanted to give back to the library," she said.

And of the sold-out venue lively with chatter and excitement, she said, "It's really incredible." Hoegen admitted her worry before the event every year — worry about attendance, worry about sponsorship, "but we have 306 guests this year," she said.

To see the turnout of people supporting the library was truly remarkable, and Hoegen noted that the library has so much more to offer than just books, such as the Library of Things.

Pamela Lacroix, creative chair of the Executive Committee, explained the choice for this year's Alice in Wonderland theme.

"There's so many beautiful quotes in 'Alice in Wonderland' ... so, from a verbal perspective, it was really fun and we've used those quotes. But then there's a visual perspective, that turn-of-the-century Victorian flair. Those illustrations are really incredibly charming and we were able to use some of those," she said.

Lacroix also offered a poignant reminder to the importance of the library and its many services, especially to those who may be on hard times.

"I think it's important to reach out to the community, to understand the library is no longer just the loaner of books. And even if you think because you can get a book from Amazon, that everybody can ... not everybody can just buy books," she said.