CHRISTOPHER KELLEY
NEDERLAND – After a busy weekend in the mountains, complete with flocks of news media, of bicyclists, and of summer tourists, Nederland locals were invited to partake in a relaxing evening of wine, cheese, music, poetry, and comedy on Sunday night, July 13, 2025.
Outside on the beautifully maintained grounds of the Nederland Community Library’s (NCL) Reading Garden, NCL Director Elektra Greer and Foundation President Susan Kelly emceed the library’s first Performing Arts Night, a special event managed by library staff and foundation members.
The ribbon was cut on the Reading Garden on August 10, 2024, and a Winter Gala held at NCL on February 8, 2025, helped to raise funds for amenities for the garden, including a roof over the outdoor stage. At that event, NCL received an anonymous $50,000 donation.
“We’ll be able to rent out the reading garden for events. We’re hoping for outdoor concerts, we’re hoping for reading programs for the children,” NCL Foundation Treasurer Patty Stanfield said to the crowd at the gala, fighting back tears.
NCL’s Performing Arts Night is one of the first events to utilize the special outdoor space. It was a huge success thanks to the generosity of the community, the hard work of the library team, and the pure talent of the artists who were invited to the stage.
The community brought blankets and chairs, got themselves a glass of wine, and made themselves comfortable on the bright green grass of the garden. Angela Delsanter entertained with her expert stiltwalking skills while Dan Jones provided ambiance with his original pedal steel guitar style, before Greer and Kelly welcomed the crowd and introduced the first performer of the evening.
Alexander Shalom Joseph shared excerpts from his newest book, first-generation Lebanese immigrant Moudi Sbeity read his impactful poetry, Beth Smith’s poetry invited the listener into deeper realms of thought, and local author James McVey read an essay about the trials and tribulations of creating the Victory Gardens nonprofit organization.
Samantha Stiers traveled from afar to read her introspective poetry; local author and historian Kay Turnbaugh told an intriguing story of the wild days of the old West from her newest book; and Rebecca Solomon, who was visiting from New York City and celebrating her birthday, shared one of her poems.
Violinist Brune Macary wowed the audience with her performance of classic music, including the mesmerizing “Appalachia Waltz,” and Rocky Stiers told wonderful stories while plucking his guitar and asking “Are There Guitars In Heaven?”
Adam Hunt rocked the stage with his blistering strumming and impactful singing, and Ireland Johnston performed standup comedy for the crowd and highlighted the differences between flatlanders and mountain folk.
Thanks to these talented artists and to the dedicated team at NCL, the Performing Arts Night was another great success among a long string of fun and educational programs that the library provides. It will be exciting to see what kind of acts will take the stage at the next event.
The Nederland Community Library is located at 200 Highway 72, Nederland. To find out more about their hours and programs, check out the website at https://nederland.colibraries.org/.