One finds both joy and pain managing a beautiful historic venue such as The Capitol. First – there is joy – much joy! Walking through doors into a space located on the site where thousands of people have been entertained since the early 1900s is pretty awe-inspiring. If only The Capitol’s walls could talk, what amazing stories they’d tell! What friendships or romances might have developed or deepened because of a visit here? What artistic careers might have been inspired on stage or in the audience during the theater’s many decades of operation?
Historically, it’s quite romantic, which makes the building’s wear and tear all the more poignant, creating a very real point of pain. While the building’s overall appearance is still quite lovely, the deterioration of time is all too apparent in several areas. Peeling plaster, broken glass, and flooring issues don’t keep the building from functioning, but do impact its aesthetic appeal. Aging light fixtures, speakers and various stage components make the situation more complicated, and making sure everything electrical is kept up-to-date contributes to difficulties. The herculean restoration work of the Capitol Arts Alliance in the early 1980s truly kept the dream alive, and in a similar endeavor, the public library has embraced the task of making sure that dream continues. But we need your help.
If you have a special connection to The Capitol and would like to assist us in keeping the dream alive, we’d like to invite you to help us “Light Up The Capitol” beginning November 1. During this festive fundraiser, donors can purchase a color light bulb or group of bulbs as visual representation of their donation. A donation of $25 will light up one bulb; $100 lights up 5 bulbs; and $250 lights up a square of bulbs. All the red and green bulbs will go “live” under the marquee during Downtown BGKY Lights Up on Friday, December 1, and all funds raised will be earmarked for Capitol improvement projects.
Donating to the campaign is simple. Just visit capitolbg.org/light, fill out the form, then pay right there. If you’d like to drop off a check instead, you can do that as well during our normal hours of operation. We’d love to acknowledge everyone who contributes, but donors will have the option of remaining anonymous.
On another note, and one that brings us great joy, is a library-hosted Capitol event scheduled for early next month (when the lights are on full display)! Fans of young adult fiction are going to be wowed when authors David Arnold and Jeff Zentner sit down on stage for a conversation-style presentation Wednesday, December 6, at 6pm at The Capitol.
David Arnold is the New York Times bestselling author who made a splash early in his writing career, when his debut young adult novel, Mosquitoland, was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start in 2015. He followed with several more novels for teens including The Electric Kingdom, Kids of Appetite, and The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik. His latest book was released mid-October. I Loved You in Another Life has been dubbed “a speculative YA love story” whose two main characters “are inexplicably drawn to each other across all their previous lives.” He hails from Lexington, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife and son. You can follow him on Instagram (@iamdavidarnold) or find out more at davidarnoldbooks.com.
Nashville native Jeff Zentner is the author of New York Times Notable Books The Serpent King and In the Wild Light. His other YA novels are Goodbye Days and Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee. His honors include receiving the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (which he won twice), the Muriel Becker Award, and the International Literacy Association Award. In addition, he has been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal. He will make his debut in the adult fiction market April 2024 with the release of Colton Gentry’s Third Act. Before his writing career, he was a professional musician, recording with rock icons Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry.
For free tickets to the Conversation with David Arnold and Jeff Zentner, go to warrenpl.org/events.
To support the Light Up The Capitol Campaign, go to capitolbg.org/light.
See what else is on the docket by following us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter (capitolbg). You can also check us out at our website: capitolbg.org! Hope to see you soon at The Capitol!
-by Ashley Fowlkes
