Etna’s new Center for Community is scheduled to open Saturday, Oct. 17, with a free public celebration at 341 Butler St. The Etna Community Organization (ECO), the nonprofit behind the project, says the event will include the center’s ribbon cutting, the opening of its community library, programs, food and a street fair. The celebration will give residents a first opportunity to explore the completed center in the borough’s business district.
The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the rear of the building at 54 Locust St. The library is scheduled to open to visitors at 11:30 a.m. Programs are planned inside and outside from noon to 5 p.m.; the full celebration is set to continue until 8 p.m. Organizers say the event is free and open to the public. Food and drinks will be available, and a street fair is planned along Locust Street between Walnut Street and VFW Way. The event coincides with activities around the annual Haunted Garden of Etna.
A library and gathering space under one roof
The project occupies the historic Ochse Hall at 341–343 Butler Street. ECO describes the Etna Center for Community as a mixed-use redevelopment intended to bring a public library and neighborhood gathering place to the borough’s main street. Its project overview outlines a library, a multipurpose “great room,” a courtyard and office space for the nonprofit. The center’s design combines renovated historic space with a new addition.
The completed project pairs a public library with shared indoor and outdoor community spaces. Residents can visit the library and, as programming develops, attend activities at the center. ECO’s project page describes the building as a place for residents to meet and access resources. The organization has described the effort as a decade-long process, spanning community planning, fundraising and construction.
What visitors should know
For the ribbon cutting, use the rear ceremony location at 54 Locust St.; the public celebration and center are at 341 Butler St. ECO says programming will continue after the 11 a.m. ceremony, with library doors opening at 11:30 a.m. Visitors can arrive during the day for the scheduled programs and street fair, though the organizer’s announcement does not provide a detailed activity-by-activity timetable. It also does not list food vendors or prices, so attendees should check the organizer’s updates before making plans around a specific offering.
Locust Street activity is planned between Walnut Street and VFW Way. That means the event will extend beyond the center itself, and visitors should allow time to move between the building and outdoor activities. Costumes are welcome, according to ECO, because the opening celebration takes place alongside the Haunted Garden’s annual activities.
The milestone follows years of work to turn the former Ochse Hall into a public-facing community resource. ECO’s project history traces the library idea to residents’ discussions beginning in 2016 and describes the renovation as a broader neighborhood effort. The center’s opening is therefore both a new local destination and the completion of a long-running community development project.
Details and any schedule changes are posted by the Etna Community Organization’s opening announcement. ECO’s project page provides background on the building and the center’s planned community spaces.