Parade
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You can be very proud of your Library Staff! On Saturday, September 22, about a dozen staff members, fifteen Library Pal volunteers, two Friends of the Library volunteers, and a Board Member walked in the CSU Community Parade with a phenomenal three part entry. And we won!--First place in the Novelty category for Community Groups.
First we had three Pals, Gabe and Dylan Balogh and Andrew Bjorgum carrying the FCPL sign announcing us and helping to pace us with the parade entry ahead of us. Then we had Marg Portouw in the inspired role of Drill Team Master. With a smile and a spring in her step, she led the 8 bookcart-and-staff-member pairs through a half dozen routines keeping everyone clear, uniform, and spirited.
The drill team itself was made up of representatives from both libraries and many departments: Linda Brown-Byrne, Kathy Barnes, Linda Dalrymple, Jennifer Harshberger, Maria Gavier, Kim Crowley, Corky Walters, and Sylvia Garcia. The many evening practices behind Main Library paid off.
 The bookcarts were decorated with swaying silver fringe and signs proclaiming aspects of library service to be found "@ the library." Drill team members wore stylish hats and bright flowered tops destroying the dowdy image of librarians. Drill team maneuvers included the tulip, crossover, V-formation and something (who knows what they called it!) where they sashayed down the street stopping to shush the crowd in exaggerated form. The crowd loved it!
Behind the Drill Team, Pal Lianna Deveraux pulled the Library Wagon which doubled as our holding tank for tootsie roll giveaways and bookmark handouts. Pals Dane Pettine, Rebecca Strein, Caitlin Beardall and Jenna Kananen, and staff member Lu Benke ran back and forth from the wagon to the sidelines making sure the 1000 tootsie rolls and 1000 bookmarks got delivered with a smile to as many watchers as possible.
Just call Larry Maynard "Harry Potter" for he looked every inch of it with his costume, black glasses, cloak and lightning tattoo on his forehead. He road atop a Nimbus 2000 (i.e., a broom mounted on his decorated motorbike) and Hedwig was there on the front of it all leading the way as Harry zoomed in and out and around the entire library parade entry.
 Friend of the Library Larry Webber drove his truck and it was a veritable haven for puppets. Puppets peeked out of the driver's and passenger's sides (Pal Sara Gossman) and the portable stage set up on the back ran a continuous puppet show of Tacky the Penguin, the Three Little Pigs, and Clifford put on by Pals Darla Jetton and Heather Cowley.
Then there were the mascots. Annie (Pal Colin West) with her helper (Pal Brittney Belmares) hugged kids and panted realistically (It's hot inside those things!). Owl (Pal James Redfern) probably wished he could have flown the parade route since the ice vest ended up in the Annie costume, but he was right there pressing the flesh of young and old alike while his helper (Pal Phillip Miller) kept right with him holding up the back of the costume where it gapped for block after block of the parade route. Keeping the costume mascots comfortable and safe while delighting Seuss lovers was our Library Director Brenda Carns dressed as the Cat in the Hat.
 The Friends of the Library paid the fees for all three of the entries!
Many people worked to make the library's parade entry successful. Leadership was shared among Francine, Kim, Sue-Ellen, Lu and Marg. Library Director, Brenda Carns' support helped make schedules work out. Brenda, Lu and volunteer Alice Jorgensen helped with transportation. Giny McConathy phoned all the Pals and organized materials and signs and Lu, Brenda, Sylvia and Kim helped get Pals through the parade and back to the library safely. There are bound to be many more who helped out but the important thing is that we sure gave the public a taste of the fun and variety to be found at their public library.
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