East Lincoln Now Has Two Libraries, and the Time of Day Decides Which One You Use

Elaine Carter has now given two bronze statues to two libraries. A few years ago, the Denver resident bought one of a girl sitting on a bench with her dog, reading a book, for the Florence S. Shanklin library. This fall she bought a second one for the new East Lincoln Branch Library on N.C. 73. In it, one child holds an open book and the other works on a laptop, according to Lake Norman Publications.

The statues fit the situation. East Lincoln did not swap one library for another this fall. It added a second branch, and the bench with the girl and her dog stays where it is.

A second branch, with the first one still open

Lincoln County held the ribbon cutting for the East Lincoln Branch Library on Friday afternoon, October 23, 2026, in Iron Station. The Lincoln Times-News photo coverage shows library director Dr. Jennifer Sackett giving the building presentation. County Manager Davin Madden, Commissioner Bud Cesena, State Librarian Michelle Underhill and library board chair Agnes Scurry also spoke. Visitors were getting new library cards and checking out books that afternoon. A community day followed on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with tours, demonstrations and appearances by the Berenstain Bears and Elephant and Piggie.

According to Lake Norman Publications, the Shanklin library "will remain open." East Lincoln now has two branches about a short drive apart:

The new branch was paid for with an $18 million appropriation in the North Carolina state budget. Sackett requested the money directly from Rep. Jason Saine. The county bought the land from The Sigmon Family Growth Revocable Living Trust for $1,275,350, which the paper reported as $23,000 an acre. The building was originally to be called the "Saine Family Library," and the library board renamed it the East Lincoln Branch Library in May.

November's calendar splits the day

The Lincoln County Public Library's event calendar shows how the two branches divide their hours. Shanklin keeps the storytimes at 10:30 a.m. East Lincoln's first month of programs starts at 4 p.m. or later.

Here is a typical week in mid-November:

Shanklin's storytimes repeat every week: toddlers on Tuesday, babies on Wednesday and preschoolers on Thursday. On the November calendar, none of these storytimes has moved to the new building. So for families with young children, the routine that worked before October 23 still works, at the same address and the same hour.

East Lincoln has filled the after-school and after-work hours instead. This is a tendency, not a fixed rule. Shanklin runs its own afternoon and evening programs too, including Sublimation Koozies and Coaster on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m., the Lego Challenge on Thankful on Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m., Maker's Club Cork Turkeys and a teen Taco Pizzas night on Nov. 12, a Dinosaur Party on Nov. 19, and D&D for teens on Friday afternoons. What has changed is how many evening options there are. A household in east Lincoln now has two branches putting events on the calendar, and on several November Tuesdays and Thursdays both have something going on.

Tuesday is East Lincoln's double booking

The new branch has built its weekly pattern around Tuesday. Every Tuesday in November has a children's program at 4 p.m. and a teen program two hours later in the same building:

• Nov. 3: Stuffie Sleepover at the Library, then Teen Cooking 101: Breakfast
• Nov. 10: Sundae Day, then Teen Game Night
• Nov. 17: Craftsgiving, then Free Birds Movie Night
• Nov. 24: Anyone Can Cook: Pie Edition, then Camp Half-Blood Orientation, a Percy Jackson launch event

For a family with one child in elementary school and another in middle or high school, both programs happen at one address in one evening. Thursdays at East Lincoln are for adults, with Board Game Night on Nov. 5, Sublimation Mouse Pads on Nov. 12 and Autumn Pie Banner on Nov. 19, all at 6 p.m.

The new branch runs on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week too. Pie Edition at 4 p.m. on Nov. 24 is followed by the Percy Jackson event at 6 p.m. That same morning, Shanklin's Toddler Story Time meets at 10:30 as usual.

The building is finished, and most of the 55 acres is still planned

The Tuesday-and-Thursday pattern makes sense once you see what the building was designed for. Lake Norman Publications describes large meeting rooms that can be combined for bigger groups, dedicated storage and kitchenette areas, children's program areas, a teen area and group study rooms. A teen cooking class and a pie workshop for kids both need a kitchenette, and a teen game night needs a teen area.

For community groups, the library's facilities page says account holders can reserve library facilities online by filling out a form and paying any applicable fee. Check the East Lincoln listing there to see which of the new rooms can be booked. Both branches are listed in the library's facility directory, and it is worth confirming current hours with the library before you drive over.

The grounds are still mostly a plan. The county intends to build a park on the site, with walking trails, nature trails, an outdoor amphitheater and other amenities. A large lower area of the property is set aside for park fixtures. None of that has a published timeline. This November, a visit to 5124 NC-73 means the inside of the building and the bronze statue by the entrance, which shows a boy reading and a girl on a laptop.

In December, the calendar moves to Hwy 16

The library calendar is quieter in the first week of December. Shanklin has Toddler Story Time on Tuesday, Dec. 1, Preschool Story Time on Thursday, Dec. 3, and Spice Club: Cinnamon that evening at 6 p.m. Then Denver's holiday weekend begins. It is organized by the East Lincoln Betterment Association, a volunteer nonprofit, and the schedule is posted at denverchristmasparade.com.

1. Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. N. Pilot Knob Road closes between Hwy 73 and Business 16. Hager's Ferry Road access is affected starting at 11 a.m.
2. 12:15 p.m. Cross streets along Business 16 close, including Forest Oak, Townsend Drive, Water Oaks Drive, Cherry Point, Harbor Master, Malibu Point and Unity Church Road. Other traffic is detoured through the Publix parking lot.
3. 12:30 p.m. The Denver Christmas Parade runs along Hwy 16 from N. Pilot Knob Road to Captain's Cap, rain or shine. It is delayed or canceled only for life-threatening weather. The emcee introductions are best heard at or near Digitize4U and Dunkin' Donuts. The Captain's Cap lot is reserved for parade entrants. Accessible parking is at the Hotsy facility at Hwy 16 and Triangle Circle.
4. Sunday, Dec. 6, 4:45 p.m. The free tree lighting with Santa takes place outdoors at Lake Norman Lutheran Church. The church provides seasonal treats and warm drinks, local children's choirs and the East Lincoln Community Chorus sing carols, and the tree is lit at the end.

Families planning that weekend should also know that the parade's student art competition closes for submissions on Saturday, Nov. 21.

Take Shanklin's Thursday-morning storytime, East Lincoln's Tuesday double booking, Spice Club on Dec. 3 and the parade on Dec. 5, and east Lincoln's fall calendar now runs across two library addresses and one highway. The girl with her dog still reads on her bench at Shanklin, and the two children reading and typing now sit outside the new branch on N.C. 73.

New public buildings like this one change how a week works on the west shore, and they shape how buyers see the streets around them. If you would like a construction-informed view of what changes like these on N.C. 73 mean for your own property, Scott Cervo welcomes the conversation. Request a private valuation and consultation.