Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library's Main Branch Reopening Celebration When: July 12 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; July 13 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and July 14 from 1-5 p.m. Where: Main Library, 800 Vine St., Downtown What: A weekend full of family-friendly events and activities, including pickleball, food trucks and an attempt to break the world record for most library card signups in one day on Saturday, July 13. Who: Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library Why: Come see all the new things the main library has to offer following its $43-million renovation. Photo: chpl.org

Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card, and if you’ve been putting off getting your Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library card, you can do it this weekend and help break a world record at the Main Library downtown.

The main library branch on Vine Street is hosting a weekend of special events to celebrate its official reopening following renovations. Family-friendly events featuring plenty of music, food and activities will run from Friday-Sunday, July 12-14.

The weekend kicks off Friday at 10 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the main entrance, followed by hourly guided tours highlighting the $43-million renovations, including redesigned meeting rooms and interactive areas for kids; the new Catherine C. and Thomas E. Huenefeld Story Center, where you can record and share history for future generations; outdoor plazas with new public art and gathering spaces; and Phronesis, a new large-scale light sculpture.

Saturday fun will kick off with the world-record attempt for the most library card signups in one day. If you need a library card, visit the main CHPL branch from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to sign up and help the library hit its goal. The day will also feature more guided tours, food trucks, pickleball and the chance to win raffle prizes. And on Sunday at 1 p.m., you can catch a sneak preview of Liverpool Oratorio from Cincinnati Opera.

Go here to see a full list of reopening events.

Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library Main Branch, 800 Vine St., Downtown. More info: chpl.org.

Subscribe to CityBeat newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 9, 2024.

Katherine Barrier is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s journalism program and has nearly 10 years of experience reporting local and national news as a digital journalist. At CityBeat, she...