Ah, the fumes of chlorine, the aroma of Coppertone. But when you’ve had enough of the pool and are looking for an indoor sport, discover the public library at night. Have you read a good book lately? Or discovered there’s a lot of culture at the downtown Richmond Public Library? It’s open evenings, Monday through Thursday until 9 p.m. (closing time is 6 p.m. on Fridays and 1 p.m. Saturdays). But all that’s hardware.
The library has three visual-arts gallery areas. In June, photographs by Carlie Collier, and paintings by Joyce Haley and Milly Gresko are on board. In July, paintings by Kathleen Markowitz and John Salley, and photos by Angie Palmer go on display. Photos by Lee Bloxom and paintings by Bruce Wilhelm will hang in August.
For six nights in June the recently refurbished Library Park (at Second and Main) will become the city’s newest performance venue with “Jungles,” a dance piece by The Richmond Performing Arts Collective. Showtime is 8 p.m. on June 8, 9 and 10 and June 15, 16 and 17. Tickets are $7 and $9.
And, of course, the library is all about books. The downtown staff recommends a range of June releases. “In A Summer Sun,” takes Bill Bryson (who followed the Appalachian Trail in “A Walk In The Woods) to Australia; suspense writer Stuart Woods’ third in his fictitious Lee family saga, “The Run,” follows Senator Will Lee’s run for the presidency; and former Richmonder Tom Robbins’ “Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates” will probably jump off the shelves.
Another upside? The downtown library’s got one of the frostiest air-conditioning systems in
