News Release

The Excelsior Branch, located at 4400 Mission Street (at Cotter) will celebrate the first anniversary of its reopening with food, entertainment and a book giveaway on July 15. Festivities will take place 12–3 p.m.

Mark Bunnell the Juggling Tornado will kick off the celebration with his “Carnival of Chaos” at 12 p.m. Children’s librarians Marianne Robatto and Karla Smoak and their musical group Musicality will follow with children’s sing-alongs. Songs will include favorites such as “Down by the Bay,” “On Top of Spaghetti” and “El Coquito.” A puppet performance will accompany each song.

The first to be renovated under the Library’s Branch Library Improvement Program (BLIP), Excelsior got a $2.3 million facelift and reopened on July 8, 2005. The new branch boasts a bright and warm design featuring light fixtures made specifically for the cathedral ceiling, comfortable seating in the newspaper/magazine area, cushioned window seats, raised flooring for future electrical/telecom needs, and a state-of-the-art projection system for the community meeting room. Other upgrades include solar panels for energy efficiency, updated book and materials collections, ergonomically-designed work areas, and a new program room with an adjacent patio, among others. The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, in a partnership with the Excelsior neighborhood capital campaign, raised $300,000 to pay for the furniture, fixtures and equipment in the new branch.

This program is free and open to the public.
For more information, please call (415) 557-4277.