ANNUAL PICNIC WITH THE LIBRARY ANNOUNCES EVENT THEME AND NAMES EVENT CO-CHAIRS

The 2023 Nashville Public Library Foundation’s family-focused fundraiser, themed around Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will take place April 30

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 8th annual Picnic with the Library event, hosted by the Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF), will take place on Sunday, April 30. Co-chaired by Amy and Julian Bryant, Kelsey and Robert Finger, and Sara and Jeremy Garner, the Picnic will be themed around Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, showcasing the wonderful, imaginative world full of candy, treats, and of course, chocolate, bringing a delicious display of literature to life for children of all ages.

“We are thrilled to have this group of chairs support us in the 2023 Picnic with the Library event,” said Shawn Bakker, president of the Nashville Public Library Foundation. “Amy, Julian, Kelsey, Robert, Sara and Jeremy are all active in our community and passionate about early literacy and Library programs for Nashville’s young people. We have no doubt they will bring the magic of Roald Dahl’s story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to life for our guests.”

Amy Bryant is a lawyer that leads the Office of Conservatorship Management and serves as the Vice Chair for the Children’s Theatre Board, and her husband Julian is a Regional Sales Manager in the Cloud Software and Security organization at Dell Technologies. Kelsey Finger owns and operates the popular children’s boutique Patch, and her husband Robert is self-employed in the container leasing industry specializing in moving and storage solutions. Sara Garner is a nurse practitioner, a partner at Jackson Durham Events and the owner of The Scout Guide Nashville & Franklin and her husband Jeremy is the Chief Development Officer at Southern Orthodontic Partners.

The picnic basket package, priced at $250 per family, includes an afternoon of family-friendly fun for two adults and up to four children. Dinner will be served alongside activities including crafts with Little Art House, a scavenger hunt, face painting, and sweet treats from Goo Goo Cluster, among others, as well as access to a special interactive performance by Wishing Chair Productions, the Library’s resident puppet troupe. Participants will also have the chance to interact with beloved children’s book characters like Clifford, Corduroy, Llama Llama and Willy Wonka.

In its eighth year, the Picnic with the Library continues to support Nashville Public Library’s Wishing Chair Productions, story times, Puppet Trucks, mentorship programs and early literacy initiatives reaching more than 100,000 children and their families.

Exclusive to the Picnic with the Library event is the opportunity to win a private puppet performance from NPL’s Puppet Truck. The beloved Puppet Truck frequents Nashville public events and libraries, and the Picnic event offers a raffle to win the once-a-year opportunity to reserve the truck for a private event of your choosing.

To learn more about the annual fundraiser, or to participate in this year’s Picnic with the Library, visit https://www.nplf.org/events-calendar/picnic-with-the-library.

ABOUT THE NASHVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION 

The Nashville Public Library Foundation (NPLF), founded in 1997, is a 501(c)3 organization with focus on supporting and fundraising for Nashville Public Library (NPL). As a department of Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the library depends on public funding to support operations and maintenance; however, it thrives because of private investment. NPLF has raised over $65 million to advance the impact of NPL programs and initiatives, as well as extend the reach and essential nature of NPL. Gifts to NPLF ignite a world of opportunity and access for people of all ages through investment in library resources that build literacy, digital skills, workforce readiness, lifelong learning, and ultimately, create better lives.

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