NEWPORT – A unique ceremony will be held next month to begin the public phase of fundraising for the future home of the Newport Cultural Center.

The center, a marriage between the town’s public library and its historical society, will be located on Main Street where a devastating fire more than a decade ago leveled a half dozen buildings and businesses.

A “ground staking” will be held at the site at 1:45 p.m. Monday, Aug. 15, fundraiser Alicia Nichols explained this week.

“We are not ready to break ground,” she said. “But we are ready to move into the next phase of fundraising.”

Residents, members of the committee and town officials will stand along the outline of the footprint of the center, while Nichols will announce how much money has privately been raised so far.

“Many people have been waiting a long time for this much-needed facility,” Ginger Phelps, chairman of the center’s advisory board, said this week.

Phelps said the new facility will benefit residents in Newport and surrounding communities.

“We want to include everyone in the campaign’s first event, which is a twist on a traditional groundbreaking ceremony,” she said. “Our public ‘ground staking’ invites the entire community to be a part of Newport’s history and to stand in support of the campaign for the Newport Cultural Center.”

Phelps said everyone attending will be invited to stand on the footprint of the new building for a photograph to be displayed in the new facility. Children and their parents will be invited to outline the Children’s Room.

The center was conceived because Newport’s library, built in 1955, and the Historical Society Museum have outgrown their existing facilities, said Nichols.

“Many books still in circulation cannot be shelved and are stored in the basement,” Nichols said. “The Historical Society Museum is currently located on the top floor of 161 Main Street. The space is not climate controlled, and the collection is at risk of being lost.”

The new building will be accessible to handicapped people and will feature space for programs, classes, workshops and cultural activities and events.