Road Trip: Haskell Free Library & Opera House
We’ve still got a solid month of summer left to enjoy. Why not plan a road trip? I’ll tell you what’s on my bucket list – the Haskell Free Library & Opera House in Derby Line, Vermont (and Stanstead, Quebec).
The building is located smack dab on the U.S.-Canada border and serves patrons in both countries. The location was intentional. The building’s founders wanted to create “a shared cultural centre and learning space.”
As one news outlet describes it:
the entrance to the library is on the U.S. side, while the books are on the Canadian side, and the reading room is “international,” with parts lying in Canada and parts lying in the U.S. There is even a black strip running down the library’s main room, demarcating the boundary. Similarly, the opera house is also divided, with the stage lying in Quebec and the theatre seats situated in Vermont.
Because of the U.S.-side entrance, the building is considered American. But Canadian patrons need not go through CBP to enter so long as they park on the Canadian side of the building and walk in.
Check out this list of upcoming shows to plan your trip around:
- Guys and Dolls runs through July 23
- The Slocan Ramblers arrive July 28
- The Durham County Poets play July 29
- Lindi Ortego performs August 15
- The Alex Syndman Trio appears August 19
Happy driving!
-KitJ