‘Force Awakens’ at library
ALANNA WOLF Staff Writer
Kelsey Noble, young adult librarian at the Maryville Public Library, has organized an “Star Wars”-themed event set for Dec. 5 that will celebrate the upcoming release of the seventh installment in the blockbuster space fantasy movie franchise.
The Maryville Public Library will host an afternoon and evening full of crafts, snacks, and space travel fantasy on Saturday, Dec. 5, by way of celebrating the upcoming theatrical release of “Star Wars – The Force Awakens,” the seventh installment in the blockbuster movie franchise.
“‘Star Wars’ is such a well-known cultural phenomenon,” said young adult librarian Kelsey Noble. “Even if you’re not a huge fan of the franchise you know what it is. And the ‘Star Wars’ movies have such a multi-generational fan base that this just seemed like the perfect opportunity to host an event that everyone in the family could participate in.”
“Star Wars” Family Fun Day at the library begins at 3 p.m. with attractions for both parents and children. Admission is free. Activities will include “Star Wars” themed games, coloring pages, and crafts.
“We’re going to have a station where people will be able to make balloon light sabers, and a shoot-the-storm-trooper station where kids can use Nerf guns,” Noble said. “We’ll also have a station where people can learn some origami basics and learn how to make an origami Yoda.”
In addition, there will be a costume contest and a chance for participants to have their pictures taken with a life-size Darth Vader standee.
“We’re also going to have different things for people to snack on during the event,” Noble said. “We’ll have have Han Solo marshmallows trapped in Jell-O carbonite, so I think people, especially big ‘Star Wars’ fans, will enjoy that.”
Starting at 6 p.m. the library will begin its “Star Wars” trivia night where participants will be quizzed on their knowledge about all things having to do with The Force both on screen and behind the scenes.
Noble recommends that families with children age 8 and above attend the evening portion of the event.
“These will be challenging questions, not just things like, ‘What color was Yoda’s light saber?’” Noble said. “Sometimes it can be frustrating for younger kids to have hard questions to answer, or to get answers wrong, so trivia night might be something better for older kids and parents.”
As with the costume contest, there will be prizes offered for the winners.
“The Hangar has generously provided us with movie passes to hand out as prizes, and we have plenty of ‘Star Wars’ swag to hand out too,” Noble said.
The ultimate goal of the event is give “Star Wars” fans, however causal or serious, a chance to see what the library has to offer.
“We have several different ‘Star Wars’ books available here at the library to be checked out as well as the movies,” Noble said. “So we just wanted to celebrate the franchise a little, let people know we do have ‘Star Wars’ items for reading or viewing that can be checked out, and just bring the community together for some fun.”
