By Khalida Sarwari
For its 10th anniversary, the Saratoga Library is offering it all–live music, local authors and poets, carnival games, a scavenger hunt and a visit with local firefighters.
The event, scheduled to take place May 18 from noon to 4 p.m., is free and open to all. Community librarian Gayathri Kanth said she expects at least 500 people to attend the event, which will be “fair-style” with a cake-cutting ceremony and a variety of activities planned both indoors and outdoors.
Outside, there will be food trucks, at least 15 booths, a fire engine, a bookmobile, a bounce house, an obstacle course for older kids and games for children and teens.
Inside, attendees will have their choice of dropping by an “e-gadget petting zoo,” where they can learn about different tablets and electronic items and determine which ones best suit their needs. Another room will house local musical acts, including school groups. There will also be a Friends of the Saratoga Library used book sale, a scavenger hunt for kids and additional children’s activities.
A meet-and-greet will be held at 1:15 p.m. in the community room with local authors, poets and illustrators. Some of the authors expected to attend are Linda Baxter, Meg Clayton, Amy Gibson and Nils Peterson. For history enthusiasts, the library will display a timeline depicting the history of the library, complete with old photos and records.
As part of the anniversary celebration, the library invited members of the community–children and adults alike–to design bookmarks that express the theme, “Saratoga Library: Heart of the Community.” The winning designs will be distributed at the event. This was the first year the library sponsored such a contest, Kanth said, adding that the purpose was to get the community involved in the anniversary celebration.
Judges selected one winner from each of five age groups: kindergarten through second grade, third through fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade, high school and adult. The winners were informed late last month but will receive their prize–a $25 gift card to a local merchant–at the event. On that day, the library will distribute bookmarks with the winning designs to each attendee. The rest of the designs will likely be posted in the copy room of the library.
The event is being sponsored by the Friends of Saratoga Libraries. With the exception of disabled parking spots, the library parking lot will not be available for parking during the event. Alternate parking will be available at St. Andrew’s School, Saratoga City Hall, Saratoga Community Center and Redwood Middle School.
