Kids flocked to a small Gainesville library Saturday for an unconventional birthday party.
The Alachua County Library District Cone Park Branch held a birthday party to celebrate the library’s first year in the community.
Library manager Heather Sostrom said the library initially had trouble getting the word out that the new branch had opened. Despite the hurdle, she said it’s been a busy year for the tiny branch.
Some residents said the library had helped the community during the past year.
“My nieces and nephews come every day just to go to the library,” said Tawanda Rochelle, Gainesville resident. “It was really nice for them to do this for the community.”
The library, located on 2841 E. University Ave., is set to get a larger, permanent building. Sostrom said the groundbreaking will be in January, and the larger building is planned to open this summer to replace the temporary trailer where the library is set up.
The library celebrated its first year with two large, chocolate-covered vanilla birthday cakes, jugglers and party favors of books.
The Alachua County Beekeepers Club, one of the organizations that came to the celebration, brought in beehives filled with bees to teach children about the insects.
While some children went around to look at the organizations’ tables, others played in the park, danced along to the disc jockey’s music and played football.
About 125 people attended the event. Most of the crowd were children.
An employee from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs told children about the department’s after-school programs.
Hollie Greer, recreation leader for the department, brought a live corn snake named Arthur.
When Greer took Arthur out of his container, kids ran up to the snake. Gainesville resident Omar Artis encouraged his son to touch the snake.
“I came out here to entertain my son,” Artis said. “This is a garden of Eden for the children. They can come to the library, to the track and play basketball.”
