Last week a bunch of laborers from Titusville Concrete put on a concert of shovels, cement mixers and trowels smoothing concrete outside the Oil City Library. They were helping with the construction of a music garden, a multi-year in the planning project that came together through a grant from the PNC Foundation.
The giant musical instrument will now be a permanent fixture along the W. Front Street ramp entrance to be used by library patrons and for library programs in the future. Library director Dan Flaherty said the project came about through shared interests "We had heard of the idea[for a music garden] from some catalogues, conferences and other experiences before," he said. in 2019 Flaherty had head about the PNC's interest in funding community projects. With the help of Bridge Builders the library and PNC began a dialogue that has culminated in a new addition to the library offerings.
"PNC believes it’s never too early to invest in a child’s future,” said Jim Stevenson, regional president for PNC in Northwest Pa. “Since its inception in 2004, a core mission of our signature philanthropic initiative PNC Grow Up Great® has been to foster early learning by providing tools and resources that help develop curious young minds. The music garden at the Oil City Library will do just that, bringing a unique and effective educational opportunity to children in this region.”
The grant was actually awarded last year, but due to problems with COVID-19, early cold spells in the fall and some positioning issues with prexisitng gas lines etc...the project was stalled.But Flaherty said that perhaps is for the best, "now it can be immediately enjoyed instead of waiting for the snow to thaw."
Flaherty added "the instruments are all playable and the one xylophone even comes with a song book with 8 pre-selected songs to guide users. We plan to incorporate some of our programming, especially for younger users, to drive up interest and use in the space."
They also hope anyone to come use the space safely and create beautiful sounds in the city.
The giant musical instrument will now be a permanent fixture along the W. Front Street ramp entrance to be used by library patrons and for library programs in the future. Library director Dan Flaherty said the project came about through shared interests "We had heard of the idea[for a music garden] from some catalogues, conferences and other experiences before," he said. in 2019 Flaherty had head about the PNC's interest in funding community projects. With the help of Bridge Builders the library and PNC began a dialogue that has culminated in a new addition to the library offerings.
"PNC believes it’s never too early to invest in a child’s future,” said Jim Stevenson, regional president for PNC in Northwest Pa. “Since its inception in 2004, a core mission of our signature philanthropic initiative PNC Grow Up Great® has been to foster early learning by providing tools and resources that help develop curious young minds. The music garden at the Oil City Library will do just that, bringing a unique and effective educational opportunity to children in this region.”
The grant was actually awarded last year, but due to problems with COVID-19, early cold spells in the fall and some positioning issues with prexisitng gas lines etc...the project was stalled.But Flaherty said that perhaps is for the best, "now it can be immediately enjoyed instead of waiting for the snow to thaw."
Flaherty added "the instruments are all playable and the one xylophone even comes with a song book with 8 pre-selected songs to guide users. We plan to incorporate some of our programming, especially for younger users, to drive up interest and use in the space."
They also hope anyone to come use the space safely and create beautiful sounds in the city.
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