Cheers to mom Tarah Derbyshire and Tatum Archer in a recent event at the Hancock County Public Library.
NEW PALESTINE – Librarians in New Palestine have been bringing families together this spring, hosting a Mother’s Day tea party this month and planning a Father’s Day Nerf War in June.
Deborah Williams, youth services manager for the Sugar Creek branch of the Hancock County Public Library, said free events at the library are a great way to encourage families to come in together.
“Anything parents can do with their kids together is just special,” Williams said, adding that the tea event May 11 attracted about 50 people. “It’s a special time where they can get dressed up and just go to have a fun, free event. We’re always looking for ways to celebrate mom and that’s a really fun way to do it.”
While both the tea party in May and the upcoming foam dart battle in June had the “mothers” and “fathers” label on them, Williams said they welcome any child with a special adult to join in on the fun.
The tea party was a returning tradition, having been put on hold because of COVID concerns. Williams, who attended the event with her own family, said there were place cards, table cloths, finger foods, crafts and even a short, comical lesson on manners.
The Nerf War in June could be the start of a new tradition, Williams said. Kids entering grades 1-5 are welcome to battle against their dad or special adult at 5:30 p.m. June 22. Part of the library’s summer reading club, registration for the event opens June 12 at hcplibrary.org.
“We’ve done a Nerf war before and we decided to kind of gear it toward something that the dads could do,” Williams said. “We want to encourage dads to come and do things with the kids as well.”
