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The residents of Kenmore had a good reason to get up early on the morning of Saturday, July 9: their new library opened! More than 2,000 people gathered to celebrate the opening of the new Kenmore Library.

As community members took seats for the celebration, the music group Los Flacos entertained the crowd. The ribbon-cutting kicked-off with more than 20 Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts presenting the American and City of Kenmore flags, which will fly inside the new library.

After KCLS Director Bill Ptacek welcomed everyone to the celebration, several dignitaries addressed the crowd.

KCLS Board of Trustees President Richard Eadie congratulated the community on the new library and thanked them for their continued support.

“This library stands as a testimonial. With everyone working together, we can accomplish something grand,” said Eadie.

Bob Ferguson said he visited the site for the groundbreaking in June 2010 and “the only thing better than a groundbreaking is an opening.” Ferguson quoted Thomas Jefferson, who said “I cannot live without books,” saying the community also cannot live without books.

Councilmember Glenn Rogers addressed the crowd, saying the community, the city and library system worked together as a team to make the library opening possible.

“Once you have a city hall, a fire department and a library, you have a real city,” Rogers said.

Matt Aalfs, the project architect, highlighted some of the features of the new 10,000 square foot building, which is more than four times the size of the previous library. The library interior features a children’s area, teen area, meeting room and study space. Many sustainable features are included in the design and the orientation of the building and skylights maximize natural lighting throughout the building;

“The idea was to create an open, light-filled space,” Aalfs said.

Once the doors officially opened, people were invited inside to tour the library and enjoy refreshments provided by the Kenmore Library Association. Giveaways included coloring books, bookmarks and seeded paper to grow wildflowers.