A New Chapter at the Larchmont Library

There was a LOT to celebrate at Larchmont Library today. 

After months of renovations, the library officially reopened its doors on August 17 – and our friends at Norfolk Public Library graciously allowed our team to join the celebration with a milestone of our own: the official unveiling of the ERT’s new kayak launch and rammed earth wall. The kayak launch was the final piece of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation Preservation Trust Grant, ensuring this space remains protected and provides public access to the waterfront. The rammed earth wall was funded through a Virginia Commission for the Arts Grant alongside a matching ERT Foundation contribution. 

And Norfolk SHOWED UP! 

Hundreds of families filled the library grounds for a day of activities, story time, snow cones, petting zoo animals, and plenty of exploring. Our team spent the morning talking with more than 100 families at the ERT tent, catching up with trail supporters, and celebrating alongside ERT board and committee members, community partners, and friends of the Trail. 

Then, of course, we broke out our newly acquired giant scissors. 

Executive Director Kindra Greene shared a few words about the two newest additions to the Larchmont Library part of the Trail before we officially cut the ribbon on the new kayak launch. A huge thanks goes to Norfolk Parks and Recreation for overseeing the construction and bringing the new amenities to life! 

The kayak launch gives trail users a new way to experience another thing we love about the ERT: its connection to water. It’s now the second kayak launch along the Trail, joining the existing launch at Plum Point Park and creating another access point for paddlers ready to explore Norfolk from a completely different perspective. 

Directly behind the library, the new rammed earth wall adds another unique element to the landscape, and it didn’t take long for some of our youngest trail users to give it their stamp of approval. Kids were climbing, running, and playing around it throughout the celebration, which felt like a pretty perfect unofficial christening. 

Kindra traded the giant scissors for a children’s book for a while, gathering with kiddos beneath the shade trees for story time. 

Between the newly reopened library, the trail, the kayak launch, and all those families filling the space, the morning was a pretty wonderful picture of what can happen when our public spaces connect. 

The ERT doesn’t end at the edge of pavement. It connects us to libraries and neighborhoods, parks and public art, green spaces, and the Elizabeth River itself. 

We’re grateful to the Larchmont Library team for letting us join their big day, to everyone who helped bring these new trail amenities to life, and to the many ERT board members, committee members, supporters, and community members who came out to celebrate with us. 

Whether your next adventure starts with a library card, a pair of walking shoes, or a paddle… we can’t wait to see where you go from here!