By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
At last year's Library Mini-Golf, Scarlett McGovern and her brother, Jackson, take a shot at the game on their way downstairs to the children's room. (File photo/Ed Karvoski Jr.)
Westborough – Area residents puttering around with winter doldrums can soon get relief thanks to the Friends of the Westborough Public Library. Back by popular demand, the Friends will transform the building's three floors into an 18-hole course for the second annual Library Mini-Golf to be held Saturday, Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Last year's inaugural fundraiser attracted over 200 participants. Furthermore, the event achieved benefits beyond raising funds, noted Abbie Micucci, Friends” president.
“It was a great opportunity to highlight the huge variety of services that the library offers,” she said. “We brought so many people into the library and they actually got to see all three floors. People sometimes hear that the library offers different services, but until they actually see them, they probably don's think about borrowing a movie or an audio, or downloading digital material. So many times it's assumed that the library is just a place to get books.”
The Friends will again contract a mini-golf company that supplies all the equipment: greens, tees, fairway barriers, putters, balls, and pencils. The course is arranged around the rows of book shelves, halls, and stairways.
“Mini-golf is a great family event,” Micucci said. “It's a relatively inexpensive way to have fun and entertain your family for the day while supporting a good cause.”
The day of family fun will also include face painting, live entertainment, and other children's activities. A pizza lunch will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Raffles will feature items donated by local businesses, including memberships to the Shrewsbury Health & Racquet Club and Westboro Swim & Tennis Club.
The Westborough Public Library was transformed into a miniature golf course for last year's fundraiser. (Photo/submitted)
Proceeds from the event will help support the Friends” upcoming programs.
Last summer, the library and the Westborough Farmers Market presented Screen on the Green, free family-friendly movies screened outdoors at the Bay State Green. The Friends sponsored two of the five film presentations. They also sponsored live music concerts in the library's meeting room as part of the summer adult reading program.
The library will offer hands-on training classes with six laptop computers that were purchased by the Friends.
“We plan programs on a by-request basis,” Micucci explained. “The programs that we sponsor are driven by the library staff. They come to us if there's something they can's provide with their budget.”
Another upcoming fundraiser is Jump to Support Our Cause to be held Wednesday, Feb. 12, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Sky Zone, the indoor trampoline park on Route 9 in Westborough. The business will donate 25 percent of the revenue raised from the sale of jump passes to the Friends. Purchasing advance tickets is recommended at skyzone.com/westborough.
The Friends also conduct ongoing fundraising with book sales in both the adult and children's departments.
Whether the reason for a library visit is to get a book or play a round of mini-golf, Micucci appreciates the facility as a community center.
“The library is a really a great place with a sense of community,” she said. “Every single time I's in the library, I run into somebody I know – whether it's for five minutes to? pick up mail for the Friends, or spending more time stocking the shelves for the ongoing book sale. It's a place where everybody can go and feel welcomed.”
Admission for the Library Mini-Golf is $5 per person in advance; $7 per person at the door. Advance tickets are available at the library's circulation desk and online at westboroughlib.org, click “Friends.” Information about joining the Friends of the Westborough Public Library can also be found at the website.
