May The Force Be With You

You want to know one of my favorite things about working at the library? (On second thought, that's not a fair question. I have a lot of favorite things.)

The answer is it brings people together through their shared interests.

May 4 was Star Wars Day. (May the Fourth be with you.) So we threw a Star Wars party for the children over on the Read House lawn.

It didn't take long for the kids -- who were strangers a few minutes earlier -- to start talking about their favorite Star Wars moments and (playfully) sparring with their light sabers.

These new friends might not have met if it wasn't for the library... and the awesomeness that is Star Wars.

But the party didn't just bring strangers closer together.

Betsy Hensel brought her 11-year-old daughter, Ashley, to the Star Wars Party. Betsy has loved the Star Wars films for decades but Ashley just recently became a fan of the franchise.

And while the two may not agree on everything -- Ashley is an R2-D2 girl but Betsy prefers Yoda -- they were still able to bond over the Star Wars books in our collection.

We always want Mentor Public Library to be a place where you can find new interests and nurture ones you already have. But it's even more fun to do that with like-minded people.

And now, for reasons of cuteness, a photo of an adorable child dueling Darth Vader on the Read House lawn:

If that's not enough cuteness, here's a quick video we shot at the Star Wars Party, as well. (John Williams, if you're watching this, please don't sue us.)

Till next time, see you at the library.