Lanier Library’s Brown Bag Lunch program on Tuesday, Jan. 20, will be a panel discussion among Tryon’s bookstore owners titled “But What About the Book…?”

Donald Hawthorne of Noah’s Ark Book Attic, Harry Goodheart of Tryon Fine Books, Penny Padgett of The Book Shelf and Gina Malone of The Village Book Shoppe will discuss the future of books in the technological age, touching upon the fact that Tryon, with a relatively small population, is home to four bookstores.

This being the first Brown Bag Lunch of the New Year, an honorary proclamation noting the library’s 125 years of history will be read by Mayor Jim Wright. Many events are planned throughout the year to commemorate the establishment in 1890 of this membership library – Tryon’s oldest civic institution – by a group of dedicated women. Today, the library is one of only a handful of private libraries left in America. As a non-profit organization, it receives no tax funding, instead depending on membership dues, donations and fundraising to remain a viable part of Tryon’s cultural scene.

The Brown Bag program will be held at noon in the library, and is free and open to the public. Those attending are invited to bring a lunch to enjoy during the discussion. For more information about the program or becoming a member of Lanier Library, visit  lanierlib.org or call 828-859-9535.

-Submitted by Gina Malone