Rain or shine, today’s the big day at Embassy Square.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., is the star guest for this afternoon’s construction celebration ceremony for the new H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library and the McGregor Hall Gallery, which form the first phase of the cultural side of Embassy Square.
The ceremony is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at the corner of Chestnut and Breckenridge streets, where contractor H.G. Reynolds is due to erect the two-story library over the next nine months or so.
All of Vance County is invited. The Perry Library and city offices will be closed from 12:30 until 2 for the ceremony.
Kathy Powell, the executive director of the foundation, said the event will be a great chance for Henderson to shine. “It’s an opportunity to say, ‘We’ve got a lot of good things happening; you have to come look at it.’ ”
Powell said that all of the members of Congress and the General Assembly who represent Vance County are expected to send staffers if they can’t make the ceremony themselves. She said state Rep. Michael Wray plans to be there.
One notable person missing today will be Henderson native Charlie Rose, the public face of the Embassy campaign. Powell said Rose had a prior engagement at the White House.
The big unknown today is the weather. Forecasts call for thunderstorms to rumble through Henderson this afternoon. According to the Web site Weather Underground, there’s a 90 percent chance of rain at 1 p.m.
“We’re hoping the heavy storm will hold off for a couple of hours,” Powell said.
If an outdoor ceremony won’t work, she said, the show will go on inside the sally port of the police station.