MILFORD - More than 150 county residents gathered on the banks of the Delaware River at The Riverview Inn to support the Pike County Public Library’s current goals of increasing services in its branches, ensuring a stable source of future operational funding for the entire county library system, and contributing to the library’s ongoing capital campaign for its new headquarters.

Shakespeare’s lighthearted A Midsummer Night's Dream was the theme of this year’s highly successful fundraising gala which generated more than $150,000.  “With dreams as a central topic in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we thought it an appropriate theme for an event focused on bringing to fruition the dream of bolstering services to the entire library system and building a state-of-the-art library headquarters to serve our growing community,” said Rebecca Lindsey, Chair of the event.

Special tribute was paid at this year’s gala to the many public servants who support the Pike County Public Library including state, federal and local officials. Honorees in attendance were Congressman Chris Carney, Pike County Commissioner Karl Wagner, Milford Mayor Merritt Quinn, Blooming Grove Township Supervisor Randy Schmalzle, Shohola Township Supervisor Nelia Wall, Westfall Township Supervisors Lester Buchanan, James Muir and Robert Ewbank and Milford Councilman Ed Raarup.

Project architect Frederick Schwartz provided a brief update on plans for the new library headquarters, and a video, produced by David Purdy, highlighting the need for the new library headquarters and featuring PCPL library patrons, was debuted.

Demand for library services in the county has grown about twice as fast as Pike’s population since 2000, resulting in dramatic cost increases for the library. In 2007 alone, annual circulation rates increased by 23%, yet county and state funding levels remain stagnant. Only with increased funding can the Pike County Public Library System sustain current service levels in the face of growing demand, and proceed with plans to improve services throughout the county.

“We surpassed our fundraising goal thanks to our many sponsors, two large donations by local residents and the energetic and generous donors who participated in the silent and live auctions”, Elizabeth Geitz, Co-Chair of the event, said, “It was a great evening for Pike County.”