photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., is pictured Friday, May 27, 2022.

One of downtown Lawrence’s most eye-catching buildings is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week, and while there might not be cake, there will be popcorn.

The Lawrence Public Library is throwing a party on Friday with live music, dance performances, food trucks and a movie screening to celebrate not only the end of its summer reading program, but also the 10-year anniversary, to the day, of the opening of its current building.

Kathleen Morgan, the library’s deputy director, said the event starts at 5 p.m. with some live music and dance performances inside the library. On the library lawn at 7 p.m., there will be ice pops, a Free State beer tent, a food truck from JB’s Tacos and a big band performance from the Jazzhawks. To cap off the night, the library will screen “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” on the lawn once the sun goes down.

Morgan said when the library had its opening day celebration back on July 26, 2014, they screened the original “Ghostbusters,” and they felt it was only fitting to show the latest movie in the franchise.

The library building was an $18 million project that Lawrence voters approved in 2010. Morgan said it was an amazing project that the community got behind, and that the library was “incredibly grateful” for the support considering that the bond was passed right on the heels of the 2008 recession.

“It was a leap of faith from the community,” Morgan said.

The building, which has been nationally recognized for its architecture, also “fundamentally changed” what the library could offer, Morgan said. New programs like a visiting author series became possible with the backing of the public.

“With support for the building came support for our programming,” Morgan said. “It made such a difference.”

And to help give back, the library is excited to open its doors for another community event Friday night and celebrate the library’s “reno-versary.”

“This project had a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and we want to thank the public for its support,” Morgan said.

A full list of events is online at the library’s website, http://lplks.org/.