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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; So far, so good; the 64th Fine Arts Fiesta is halfway over, and the beautiful weather from Thursday continued into Friday.</p><p>And at a ceremony Friday evening under sunshiny skies, Wilkes-Barre got a brand new way to encourage literacy.</p><p>Around 5 p.m., Dallas-based theater organization PATAsphere took the stage, showcasing the talents of young area performers who had joined the program.</p><p>In addition to covers of famous songs &#8212; including a choral rendition of Toto&#8217;s 1982 hit &#8220;Africa&#8221; &#8212; PATAsphere performed songs from their original musical &#8220;In Search of Marjee,&#8221; which they&#8217;ll be performing this summer at the culmination of a youth summer camp at the Dallas Performing Arts Center.</p><p>But the group&#8217;s performance was briefly interrupted Friday evening for Leadership Wilkes-Barre to announce the introduction of a new &#8220;library&#8221; right on Public Square.</p><p>A very, well, <em>little </em>library<em>.</em></p><p>Megan Filak of Leadership Wilkes-Barre announced the installation of the new Little Free Library box on Public Square. The box is one of six former newspaper boxes donated to Leadership Wilkes-Barre by the Times Leader to be converted into Little Free Libraries.</p><p>Filak explained the program simply: &#8220;Take a book, leave a book.&#8221;</p><p>Essentially, the book box, along with the other five located in the area, holds a stash of books. Readers are encouraged to take any books they want at no cost, and are similarly encouraged to donate books they&#8217;re done with by simply dropping them inside.</p><p>Filak said the project is important, as everyone deserves to read.</p><p>After Filak&#8217;s introduction, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to make the Little Free Library official. Members of Leadership Wilkes-Barre were joined by Mayor Tony George and city Councilman Tony Brooks, along with members of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.</p><p>If you&#8217;re interested in checking out the Little Free Library, and, indeed, the rest of the Fine Arts Fiesta, it continues throughout the weekend, featuring performances from bands both local and otherwise, installations by local artists and plenty of food vendors. </p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George cuts the ribbon for the new Little Free Library box with members of city council, Leadership Wilkes-Barre, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and the Times Leader at the Fine Arts Fiesta on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George cuts the ribbon for the new Little Free Library box with members of city council, Leadership Wilkes-Barre, Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and the Times Leader at the Fine Arts Fiesta on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Evan Roberts, left, and Ahmad Ali, of Leadership Wilkes-Barre, carry the new Little Free Library box to Public Square on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Evan Roberts, left, and Ahmad Ali, of Leadership Wilkes-Barre, carry the new Little Free Library box to Public Square on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ariel Ashford, of Plymouth, has her silhouette cut by Igor Nasibyan of Silhouette Portraits of Erie at the Fine Arts Fiesta in Wilkes-Barre on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Ariel Ashford, of Plymouth, has her silhouette cut by Igor Nasibyan of Silhouette Portraits of Erie at the Fine Arts Fiesta in Wilkes-Barre on Friday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Richard Yarashas, of Kingston, looks over &#8216;Lord of the Rings&#8217; wood piece by artist Matthew Howell at the Fine Arts Fiesta on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_TTL051819LittleLibrary-Fiesta_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Richard Yarashas, of Kingston, looks over &#8216;Lord of the Rings&#8217; wood piece by artist Matthew Howell at the Fine Arts Fiesta on Friday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Little Free Library installed on Public Square during Fine Arts Fiesta</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>