Celebrating a milestone birthday

Members of the Waitaki community are invited to join the North Otago Museum and Waitaki District Libraries on Friday to celebrate the 130th birthday of the Athenaeum building in Thames St.

The building is currently used as the North Otago Museum and the celebration, which includes an informal afternoon tea, will start at 4pm in the museum building.

Exhibitions and Collections curator Chloe Searle said the Athenaeum building first opened to the public on November 16, 1882.

"The building was designed by Forrester and Lemon and Thomas Forrester was also the Museum's first curator," she said.

"Our building has been home to both the library and the museum at different times over the past 130 years and we are looking forward to celebrating that history."