Note: The following item was provided by the Cedartown Public Library for posting. Congrats to the Library for celebrating its 100th anniversary. May it enjoy 100 years more of service to the community! – KtE

CEDARTOWN – Join the Sara Hightower Regional Library and the Polk County Historical Society at an open house event from 3 to 6 PM on Thursday, September 30 at the Hawkes Children’s Library building celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Library Services in Cedartown. A library themed storytime will be held in the garden behind the Hawkes building at 5 PM; children of all ages are welcome to attend.

More than 100 years ago, the people of Cedartown and the estate of Atlanta philanthropist A.K. Hawkes set a plan in motion to give Cedartown its first free public library. The Hawkes Children’s Library opened on September 30, 1921.

The upcoming event will celebrate 100 years of providing the people of Cedartown with free access to information and resources.

Cedartown Library Branch Manager, Allison Robinson said, “in the early 20th Century, the people of Cedartown realized that a free public library would be of great benefit to the city and went above and beyond to ensure that the city could be proud of their library for years to come. At this celebration, we hope to reflect on the past as well as look to the future of the library, giving people a sense of nostalgia in returning to the Hawkes building and sharing the ways that the library can still impact and improve their lives and the lives of their neighbors”.

At the formal opening of the library one hundred years ago, citizens were asked to bring a book to help fill the shelves of the new library. To recognize the support of the community over the past century and to repay it, in some small part, any child attending the 100th Anniversary Celebration will receive a free book.

Special activities at the event will also include: tours of the Hawkes Children’s Library building, a representative of the Historical Society to speak about the history of the building and the services, exhibits about the history of Cedartown’s libraries and current library services, and free goody bags.

For more information about this event or the Cedartown Library, contact Branch Manager Allison Robinson at arobinson@shrls.org or (770) 748-5644.