The mood here at the Book Center was bright and ebullient yesterday, despite the damp weather. Book Center staff, board, volunteers and special guests gathered to formally break ground on this building expansion project. Technically, the ground had already been broken several weeks before (as this blog can attest). But every great project deserves a celebratory kick-off, and this one was lovely.

We gathered in the Book Center’s Great Hall at noon, and paraded out through the Yiddish Writers Garden, past the pond, and down to the apple orchard in a festive procession with music by the Freylekh Valley Orkestr (led by our own Vice President of Education, Hankus Netsky). The hard-hatted crowd then perched on benches under a white tent to hear inspired and inspiring words from four very important people: founder and president Aaron Lansky; board chair, Lief Rosenblatt, founding board member and former board chair, Penina Glazer; and vice president, Lou Cove. At the appropriate moment, no less than 16 shovels went into the soil to make the groundbreaking official.

-Jillian