Forbes Library in Northampton is excited to announce the opening of the new Hess Performance Stage on the library’s west lawn. The library will be celebrating the new stage with a grand opening on Saturday, September 13th at 3 PM with an event featuring the O-Tones playing Swing, Blues, Soul, Motown, Latin, and R&B. The opening is free to the public.
The stage is open air with a covered roof and ramped handicap access. It has lights, electricity, and soon will also have a sound system. This project is many years in the making and is intended to provide the necessary infrastructure for outdoor programs and events as well as a new community gathering space. The library has a long tradition of outdoor programming with the first photographed event held in 1918 when an overflow crowd got together on the library grounds to sing patriotic songs in celebration of the end of World War 1.
The stage was designed by HAI Architects from Northampton and built by Campora Construction Incorporated from Ludlow. It has a steel structure and curved roof profile inspired by the arches of the library’s building and featuring colors that also reflect the sandstone and granite of the building. The project was funded by substantial gifts from Marjorie Hess and Rudolph Talaber for whom the stage is named, along with additional support provided by the Friends of Forbes, City of Northampton, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, MassDevelopment, AARP Massachusetts, and many individual donors. Debin Bruce, Chair of the library’s Building and Grounds Committee worked tirelessly to see the stage to completion. “We would not have this stage without Debin and all of the generous support of our community”, Lisa Downing, Library Director.
Programs on the stage will continue into the fall with events that are free, open to the public, and of interest to all ages. Check the library’s event calendar for more information. The stage and the library grounds are free and open to the public during daylight hours when not in use by library programming. Beginning in 2026, community groups will be able to book the stage for public events as they do with the library’s meeting rooms.