Story provided by Stillwater Public Library
In its continuing Centennial celebration, the Stillwater Public Library (SPL) is hosting a lock-in on Friday, March 17, from 7 to 11 p.m. The event is open to all ages and features all things gaming, including video games from the Mario franchise, board games, RPGs and themed movies. Attendance is free, but donations to the Stillwater Public Library Trust are welcome. Pizza donated by Little Caesars, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s will be available along with other party snacks. Registration is required to attend.
According to Stacy DeLano, library director, this program gives the library a chance to celebrate the community’s role in achieving 100 years of library success.
“One of our goals was to create a fun event celebrating the children and families that make up the core of our users,” DeLano said. “It is not just a building or staff that make a successful library; it’s the families who introduce the library and reading to their children, generation after generation.”
The lock-in will utilize the entire library with entertainment options to appeal to kids, teens and adults.
Friendly video game competitions will be run by the Gamers of OSU, Stillwater High School ESports team and GameStop in the north building. Each organization will be set up in a different room with games like Mario Party, Mario Kart and Smash Bros.
Jordan Stine, teen librarian, thinks that the video games will be especially appealing to teens, although he’s noticed that board games and RPGs (role-playing games) also tend to be popular.
“The library has amassed quite a large collection of board games and card games for teen programs,” Stine said. “Of course, we have the classics, but we also have some newer quirky games like Unstable Unicorns and the Family Edition of Cards Against Humanity.”
Children under the age of 13 will need a parent or guardian to accompany them. Teens 13 and older can attend alone with a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian.
Board and card games will be set up in the main library and include chess, checkers, Monopoly, Sorry, Uno, Scrabble, Catan, Candy Land, Scattergories, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic Legacy, Superfight, Backgammon, Othello, Battleship and many others. A volunteer will also be on hand to run an RPG in room 138.
Guests looking for a less competitive evening can also read or watch a movie.
“When I was a kid, I think I would have been the most excited about just being in the library at night exploring the stacks and reading my favorite books,” Stine said.
The movies being shown are also game-themed. One is a 1995 film starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt, and the second is a 1985 murder mystery based on a popular board game starring Tim Curry. Both are rated PG and run approximately one and a half hours. Call the Help Desk at (405) 372-3633 x8106 or visit library.stillwater.org for titles of the films.
The library will admit registrants from 7-7:30 p.m., and then the doors will be relocked. Attendees can leave whenever they would like, but re-entry is not allowed. Attendees are also invited to wear their comfy clothes or appropriate pajamas and bring blankets or other cozy items to snuggle up with.
DeLano hopes that patrons will enjoy having an alternative, family-friendly way to spend St. Patrick’s Day, especially since it is right at the end of Spring Break.
“We can’t wait to cheer everyone on to a win and help others discover games they have never played before,” DeLano said. “At its core, the library has always been about providing opportunities to learn something new.”
Learn more about centennial events, register for the lock-in and find teen permission slips at library.stillwater.org/SPL100.php.
The Stillwater Public Library is located at 1107 S. Duck St. Library hours are Monday- Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
