The school year may have just ended, but Nashville Public Library is gearing up for a busy summer. The Summer Reading Challenge runs June 1 through July 31, and is open to all ages. Studio NPL offers free programs for teens, focusing on STEM, digital media and creative workshops. And of course, Wishing Chair Productions offers a terrific lineup of professional puppet shows and story times. In fact, this award-winning troupe recently unveiled a brand-new show called Rock-A-Billy Road: A Musical Shindig With the Gruff Family Goats. Created by veteran Wishing Chair performer Pete Carden (aka “Library Pete”), this clever production offers a fresh take on the classic tale of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” — with Carl P., Wanda and Jerry Lee Gruff trying to win over “a stubborn Elvis-inspired troll, using kindness and teamwork.” The show features 10 new toe-tapping songs and is built around three vintage Tom Tichenor marionettes, never before seen on the Wishing Chair stage. You can catch Rock-A-Billy Road this weekend, and be sure to keep an eye out for other upcoming performances — including The Stonecutter (a Bunraku-style puppet show, based on an Asian folktale) and String City (a delightful chronicle of country music history, presented at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum).
May 22-23 at Nashville Public Library
615 Church St.
