NORTHAMPTON — Forbes Library in Northampton announced the opening of the new Hess Performance Stage on the library’s west lawn. The library will celebrate the new stage with a grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. with an event featuring the O-Tones playing swing, blues, soul, Motown, Latin, and R&B. The opening is free to the public.

The stage is open air with a covered roof and ramped handicap access. It has lights and electricity, and soon will also have a sound system. This project is many years in the making and is intended to provide the necessary infrastructure for outdoor programs and events as well as a new community gathering space. The library has a long tradition of outdoor programming, with the first photographed event held in 1918 when an overflow crowd got together on the library grounds to sing patriotic songs in celebration of the end of World War I.

The stage was designed by HAI Architects of Northampton and built by Campora Construction Inc. of Ludlow. It has a steel structure and curved roof profile inspired by the arches of the library’s building and featuring colors that also reflect the sandstone and granite of the building.

The project was funded by substantial gifts from Marjorie Hess and Rudolph Talaber, for whom the stage is named, along with additional support provided by the Friends of Forbes, the city of Northampton, the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, MassDevelopment, AARP Massachusetts, and many individual donors.

Debin Bruce, chair of the library’s building and grounds committee, worked tirelessly to see the stage to completion. “We would not have this stage without Debin and all of the generous support of our community,” said Lisa Downing, library director.

Programs on the stage will continue into the fall with events that are free, open to the public, and of interest to all ages. Check the library’s event calendar at forbeslibrary.org/events for more information. The stage and the library grounds are free and open to the public during daylight hours when not in use by library programming. Beginning in 2026, community groups will be able to book the stage for public events as they do with the library’s meeting rooms.