by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 5 January 2017
On the first Saturday of each month, January through June, the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library invites everyone, of all ages, to come play! Young and old can gather for an afternoon of unplugged fun, playing board games and cards, without electronic access or a need for formal introductions. Players can ‘Unplug & Play’ from 2p – 5p on January 7th, February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, May 6th, and June 3rd.
The Fremont Branch Library sits alongside our retail core, but it’s always been a primary pump for the lifeblood of our community. As a source of information, a venue for community gatherings, a resource for our history as well as public services, the Fremont Library often serves as ‘The Giving Tree’ – overlooked until needed, and then overlooked again.
With ‘Unplug & Play’, the Fremont Branch offers another of our community’s most vital services – a time and place for fun, where neighbors can meet and become friends, all while doing nothing more strenuous than playing a game. ‘Unplug & Play’ also offers those among us who feel a lack of adequate human connection – living alone, or feeling disconnected – a place to come and connect over something as simple as Clue or cards, or Chutes & Ladders.
‘All Very Jolly’
“As it stands now, it’s been very small,” observed Andy Bates, the Fremont Supervising Librarian, about attendance at this event begun last fall. Yet, there is reason to think that Fremonsters, and those beyond the Center of the Universe, could benefit from a few hours a month of conversation and games. “This kind of program can reach anyone,” Bates explained, “We’ve had 5-year-olds up to seniors. It’s all very jolly!”
Bates was moved to launch ‘Unplug & Play’ in Fremont after a group booked the public meeting room for a gaming event. He recalled seeing four people, sitting at the same table, playing on their computers for a few hours, and only then raising their heads and introducing themselves, face-to-face, before packing up to return to their homes. “I thought of [‘Unplug & Play’] as an antidote to the different devices in our lives,” Bates said, “this is a different social interaction.”
Social media, computer games, e-books, etc. all serve positive roles in our lives, Bates observed, but so does playing games with real people in real time – and people of all ages, backgrounds and areas of the city.
The Goal Of Interaction
For over a year, the Ballard Branch Library has hosted a similar event, with 80 – 90 people attending. Ballard had to suspend their gatherings this winter while a staff member takes maternity leave, and it is to be hoped that some people will migrate over to Fremont. The Ballard Branch serves a much larger area than Fremont, but nothing requires that attendees at our ‘Unplug & Play’ come only from here.
“My goal is interaction,” Bates said, “for people to meet each other.” A library meeting room, where snacks are served and no live band is playing, will get a different crowd than the bars and nightclubs around here, but like those, ‘Unplug & Play’ offers visitors, “one more stop in Fremont as a fun place to be,” Bates agreed.
Free, Family-Friendly, Unplugged Fun
The Fremont Branch has several games on-hand: playing cards, Mille Bornes, Clue, Uno, NetRunner, Battleship, and Chutes & Ladders. Participants can also bring their own, favorite games (although there may not be time for a full Risk or Monopoly match.) The library staff also provide coloring pages and colored pencils, for those who want to get creative, and snacks on-hand, to provide players with energy enough to keep competing.
Please stop by the Fremont Branch for games, snacks and socializing with others who share a sense of fun! “I thought of this as a vehicle for people to socialize,” Bates explained. It is also another way we build community among neighbors.
Stop by the Fremont Branch library on Saturday, January 7th, between 2p – 5p, to enjoy an afternoon of free, family-friendly, unplugged fun!
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