Mark Twain Library In Redding To Debut Outdoor Partio Space

**News Release Submitted by Mark Twain Library**

Nov. 12, 2024

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 2:30pm, the Mark Twain Library will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open its newly created outdoor patio space.

"Redding is a town known for its commitment to offering public, open space. I am thrilled that the Mark Twain Library's loggia project now reflects that value" said Mark Twain Library Director Erin Dummeyer.

Members of the Library's Board of Directors, staff, First Selectwoman Julia Pemberton, and elected officials will be present for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We're very fortunate in Redding to live in a beautiful and outdoorsy town," said board member Eric Rubury, who spearheaded the project as part of the Library's Building and Grounds Committee. "So what better thing to do than to provide an outdoorsy environment for the community."

Interest in an outdoor space first came to the attention of the Library when conducting a survey of the community in 2019. The impact of the pandemic further emphasized a need to create a comfortable outdoor space for Library patrons.

To design the patio, which Mark Twain liked to refer to as a "loggia," the Library looked to Redding’s own Nancy King of Seventy Acres for her experience as a landscape architect and also for her connection to the building and the town as a longtime Redding resident and patron of the Library.

"The round drum building to me is really unique and I wanted to embrace that, (and) I wanted it to be comfortable for a couple of people to sit out there or a whole class," said King, who got excited at the thought of holding a yoga class on the new patio. She said she’s thrilled with the way it turned out, noting that the pergola gives it a cozy feel and also reflects the ambience of the surrounding woodlands. "It’s going to be fun to see how it evolves!"

The project was funded in part by a grant from the Town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as well as through private donations including a gift from the Thomas R. and Terry S. Flagg Fund.