Reviews
An Occasion for Mixing The Arts
By Maureen Sullivan
February 17, 2006
The Bacon Free Library and The Center for Arts in Natick are like casual acquaintances – they are both part of the town, they know the other exists, they say “hi” every once in a while, then go about their business.
For one night, anyway, the library and the center got to know each other a bit better. The Bacon Free marked the latest celebration of its 125th anniversary with a “Love Your Library” gala on Feb. 9, and decided to hold the event not in South Natick, but in the heart of downtown. This not only gave gala-goers a chance to nosh on hors d’oeuvres, but also gave Bacon Free trustees, volunteers and friends to check out TCAN.
“It’s so cool,” said Diane Damplo, who runs the Wellesley Cooperative Nursery School off Pleasant Street in South Natick. “This is my first time here [at TCAN]. When this was a firehouse, my husband went down the fire pole when he was a Cub Scout."
TCAN Executive Director Dave Lavalley was also pleased that a lot of first-time visitors were part of the gala’s mix. “This is such a great group of folks ... some of them haven’t come here before tonight,” he said. TCAN provided the space for free, and was among the first groups thanked by Steve Wilson of the library’s Board of Trustees.
The library presented several awards in appreciation to the volunteers, sponsors and trustees who have helped the Bacon Free over the years. The Mill Lane Award honored businesses and local organizations, and included Lookout Farm, Mary Shane Inc., Middlesex Savings Bank, Natick Federal Savings Bank, Roche Bros. and Windy-Lo Nursery. “Just as Mill Lane is behind the library, their support is behind us,” said Wilson.
The library’s signature honor, the Oliver Bacon Award, went to Jack Newton for “exemplary service;” according to Wilson, Newton has been everything from “chairman, treasurer, chief leaf raker, energy consultant, historian, record keeper, snow shoveler...he has been recognized by the town of Natick as one of its most dedicated public servants largely for his work with the BFL...” Newton received not only a certificate of achievement, but a one-of-a-kind gift – a baseball cap with the library on the front and “Oliver Bacon” on the back. Newton accepted his award on “behalf of all the past, present and future community volunteers who work on behalf of the Bacon Free Library.” “The message here ... is that without volunteers, Bacon Free Library could not be what it is today,” he said.
Honoring volunteers soon gave way to honoring love, as a cabaret performance by Bobbi Carrey and Will McMillan filled the center. With a piano accompaniment by Doug Hammer, the singers reflected on the humor and heartbreak of love, with songs ranging from Sondheim to “West Side Story."
Diane Wallace, the director of the Bacon Free, thought it all “wonderful,” but her thoughts were already on her next visit to TCAN – as part of the second annual Natick READS event next month.
The gala was sponsored by the Friends of the Bacon Free Library as part of the library’s 125h anniversary. Members of the 125th Celebration Committee included Jan Martin, Jeanne Cosmos, Sue Richardson, Lyn Woodhead, Barbara Simmons and Anne-Marie Kott.