The library and the theater are area's brightest gems

If you missed the Dover Public Library open house April 19, you missed out on something special: the hub of our town…explained.

The number of people I heard saying, “I didn’t know they did that,” really surprised me. I thought everyone came to the library nearly every day like I do.

I find our library amazing. In one building you can find information on any subject you might be researching, internet access, adult, teen and children’s literature, a technology room, a makers room, copy machine and laminators. You can send or receive faxes, register to vote, make black and white copies, use free Wi-Fi and be instructed by knowledgeable staff who will spend inordinate amounts of time helping.

Then there are the interest programs, including such things as crocheting, chess, ukelele playing, new weekly speakers and an art display wall. Many groups use the community room for their monthly meetings. You can even sit and read in front of a warm and homey fireplace. As Director Jim Gill, said, “We want to be the front porch of the community.”

All of this is endangered. On May 5, we will be asked to vote for the renewal of a 1-mil operating levy. If passed, it will cost $2.07 per month for the owner of a home valued at $100,000. Thirty percent of the library’s funds come from this levy which funds materials, programming and services to the community such as homebound delivery and computer classes.

According to the Ohio Library Council, state funding for public libraries will be reduced by nearly $25 million this year. We cannot afford to lose our “front porch.” I hope you will all make your yes for the renewal a priority.

On another separate, yet related subject, “The Odd Couple” is currently residing in The Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County, opening this week and running through Mother’s Day, May 10. Since Covid, the theater, like many other venues in the area, has shown a decrease in attendance. The offerings there are entertaining, reasonable in price and well presented. Directed by veteran Kathy Blair Bergstram, “The Odd Couple” is another of Neil Simon’s delightful comedies, with a laugh in nearly every line. The set is beautifully built in true style of the time period, and the actors carry the comedy with skill. Let’s fill the seats to show appreciation for so many days and nights of volunteering to entertain you for a couple of hours,

The library and the theater are two of the area's brightest gems. Let’s keep them polished and on display for all the community to enjoy.