More than 150 people followed the yellow-lit route at this year’s Haunting at the Library fundraiser at Prendergast Library. This year’s fundraiser is the third annual haunt and included a trip to Oz along a trail lit by battery-operated yellow candles. “This year’s event was based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” said Annie Green, executive director of the library. “Every year we organize our haunt at the library event around stories and literary characters. In the past we have made characters based on a variety of genres, such as Vampire County Dracula; author Edgar Allen Poe; Maleficent, a Walt Disney character; the Troll under the bridge, character from the fairy tale The Three Gruff Goats; the Queen of Hearts from the story of Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes, a literary and fictional detective. »

The event’s cast of characters included Dorothy Gale, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, Aunt Em, the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda the Good Witch of the South, the Wizard of the ‘Oz and Flying Monkeys.

“We really try to have high-quality, authentic costumes and create an environment where our visitors have a completely authentic experience,” Green said. “We strive to provide a high-quality, low-cost educational experience for everyone. We also encourage participants to dress in whatever costume they want to add to the fun.

The event is expected to attract a lot of attention, and this year’s offering was no different.

Center Back, John Graham with his three children, Anastasia Graham, 13, a student at Persell Middle School; Skylar Graham, 9, a student at Love Elementary School and Dante Graham, 14, a student at Persell Middle School, before visiting the Library Haunting at the James Predergast Library during the library event Saturday. PJ photo by Christopher Blakeslee

“The first two years we did this event, we were sold out,” Green said. “This year too, we almost sold out the room – we had 154 participants and we raised $1,013.00.

The event featured characters from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, as well as the book titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900 by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by WW Denslow. This is the first novel in the Oz book series.

“I think the fundraiser went exceptionally well. I feel like every year it gets bigger and better,” said Dan Hickman, chair of the library’s board of trustees. “I only had a brief glimpse of the tour groups due to the way my skit was organized, but from these brief glimpses it appears we had a strong turnout. The feedback I have heard has been very positive and the community seems to really enjoy these events. I am very proud of the library staff and impressed by the hard work they put into organizing events like this.

John Graham of Jamestown and a program participant echoed Hickman’s statement.

“I brought all three of my kids to this event because it’s affordable and the library does a wonderful job putting on this event every year. This year they knocked it out of the park.

From left to right: Cassie Blakeslee, Board Secretary; Christine Zeitler, librarian; Kristie Bemis, library operations coordinator; Oliver Chenard, library associate; Terry Strieder, library associate; Andy Schmidt, volunteer; Danica Olson, outreach and programming manager, and Dan Hickman, board president, were part of the cast of Prendergast Library’s third annual Haunting at the Library event on Saturday. PJ photo by Christopher Blakeslee

For more information, visit prisergastlibrary.org.