Sitting pretty on the banks of the Saco River, the West Buxton Public Library is a natural to build on its community cultural role.

The quaint library hosted a reception Friday, opening an art show with 60 works by five local artists. The gala, attended by 88 people on a steamy, summer evening, surprised the library staff.

“It was amazing,” said Sharleen Fields, who became the librarian on Sept. 1 last year, about the turnout. “We all melted it was so hot.”

Fields said a group of 15 people socialized outside the library, enjoying a cool breeze blowing off the river. She described the outdoors gathering as “small town community camaraderie.”

The art exhibit continues through August, according to Dianne Senechal, a library trustee. Fields said the five artists exhibiting their works are from Buxton, Hollis and Gorham. The artists are Jean Libby, Mary C. Elwell, Robert A. Yarumian II, Sue Ray and Susan Orfant. Elwell, Libby and Ray are members of the Buxton Garden Club. Several of the works displayed on library walls have already been sold.

Senechal said the show could be the first of its kind in Buxton. “West Buxton Public Library is fast becoming the cultural center of the town,” Senechal said this week.

The library, 34 River Road, is open 4-8 p.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays; and 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Saturdays. The library became a social hub for the West Buxton area last fall when it began serving coffee and doughnuts on Saturdays.

The success of the art show has inspired Fields to begin planning one for next year. Two additional exhibitors have already shown interest.

Senechal said the library exterior was spiffed up in June with a fresh coat of white paint, with black doors and shutters. The building has new roofs over doorways. It’s also handicap accessible with a new wheelchair ramp.

Fields said paving the parking lot, which has space for eight cars, is next on an agenda of improvements. “This place is up and roaring,” Fields said.

The town of Buxton owns the building, which faces the Saco River. The West Buxton Public Library Association provides books and furnishings.

The building originally served as a one-room school for children in School District No. 12 12. It was built in 1853 and took on new life a century later as a library.

Today, the library stacks are lined with more than 7,000 books and is equipped with computers and Internet access. Grants by the Narragansett Number 1 Foundation of Buxton have been instrumental in modernizing and repairing the library.

For more information, call the library at 727-5898 or Senechal at the Buxton town office at 929-5191. Library information is also available on the town’s Web site, www.westbuxtonpubliclibrary.org

Cutline (Buxton library art) – Robert Yarumian and Susan Orfant are among five artists exhibiting their artwork in an art show, which opened at the West Buxton Public Library on Friday and continues through August. The library is displaying 60 pieces of art.