.jpg)
What can you do for children to celebrate the dwindling days of summer before school starts? Have a Carnival Celebration at the library, of course! That’s what Friends of Nesbitt Memorial Library did with the help of generous sponsorships from local businesses. The carnival was an exciting event boasting FREE and FUN on Friday, Aug. 8.
The path of carnival games was cleverly intertwined among the bookshelves. Each turn provided another surprise! Games like creating silly faces, golf, bowling, catapulting stuffed frogs onto lily pads and more provided a constant stream of gleeful reactions. Currie Luedecke, president of Friends, reported that one of the biggest hits of the day was the “Tic-Tac-Throw” game, a creative twist on the classic Tic-Tac-Toe. Instead of the usual pencil and paper, kids competed by tossing tennis balls at circular Velcro targets, cheering for each other as they raced to get three in a row to win the game. Laughter, friendly competition and a few impressive trick shots made it a clear favorite!
Columbus Lions Club provided a free vision test for children. Roxana Strickland, John Crews, Brandy Guidroz and Nancy Williams worked to screen for visual impairment, especially “lazy eye” which can be easily corrected when detected early in young children. The Lions made the experience a fun one with sticker awards for completion. If any visual impairment was detected, parents or guardians received more information on how to follow up with a school nurse or ophthalmologist.
It was easy to guess which treat awaited the carnival goers at the “finish line.” The open doorways could not be kept a secret as the tantalizing fragrance of fresh popcorn escaped the newly-renovated and colorfully-decorated Community Meeting Room where refreshments “popped.” Not only was there popcorn but juice and crunchy treats, too, all thanks to businesses who supported the fun with donations.
Participants stood in line mesmerized by balloon artists at work—twisting and coaxing strait, narrow balloons into free, fanciful creatures or objects to take home. Which shall it be? A sword? A crown for your head? A flower for your wrist? Or a smiling frog in your color choice? A few grandparents and parents accompanying children walked away with the biggest smiles and a poodle or turtle in their favorite colors.
Before leaving, children could select two books to take home from a large selection of donated books. Some excited young children could not wait and wanted them to read NOW! Others were content to take them home along with another bag of that delicious popcorn!
Friends of NML work year-round to support the director, Lynnette Weido and library staff. The goal is to ensure that children and adults can enjoy memorable experiences, enriching events and educational opportunities right here at home.
Friends of Nesbitt Memorial Library is a group of volunteers that act as “helping hands” to the library staff. Their activities expand what limited staff and budget can do to create more opportunities for learning and social interaction for people of all ages. Friends work to connect the community. Besides sponsoring community programs, another Friends summer activity was reading to children in local day care facilities. Their stickers said it all: “Readers today, Leaders tomorrow.”
