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Culpeper Library pitches ‘Culpeper Con’ as low‑cost, high‑impact community event
Summary
Library Director Brian McCormick and Adult Services Librarian Andrew DeNicola briefed the board on library improvements and the multi‑year Culpeper Con event that the library says is driving regional attendance and supporting local businesses.
Culpeper County Library Director Brian McCormick and Adult Services Librarian Andrew DeNicola updated the Board of Supervisors on May 6 about library renovations, outreach and the growing Culpeper Con event, a free, family‑focused comic‑con convention the library runs to boost literacy and community engagement.
Key points: McCormick described recent facility and service upgrades — a new logo and website, an updated event calendar, plans to move the Friends bookstore to the front of the building, a shade structure for a back patio and an automation system upgrade expected in June. He said staff are working with the library foundation and community partners on a planned youth and teen services renovation and a proposed maker/STEM lab in the back of the library.
Culpeper Con: Andrew DeNicola reviewed the convention, now in its fourth year, which the library organizes with local nonprofits and businesses. The program uses mostly local vendors and partners and is designed to emphasize literacy, access and inclusion rather than sales. The Friends of the Library still fundraise via bookstore sales and event merchandise.
Attendance and local impact: DeNicola reported a year‑over‑year increase in attendance (a cited 24% jump for the most recent year), with Placer.ai mobile data estimating 1,700 people present for the broader event footprint and 1,104 attendees counted using lanyards at the library in a prior edition. The library counted 364 people at the library during a 10‑hour event window and documented 15 new library card registrations tied to the event.
Costs and operations: the library aims to keep Culpeper Con low‑cost and largely repurpose signage and materials between years; event capacity inside the library is 419 people and the adjacent parking is privately owned, so logistics require close coordination with the town and property owners.
Board response: supervisors praised the library’s outreach and the event’s benefits for families, local businesses and tourism. The board did not take any formal action but encouraged continued coordination between the library, the town and the economic development office.
Ending: library staff said the next edition of Culpeper Con is planned for October 2026 and asked for continued board support for the library’s work to expand programs and community access.
