A group of women recently spent an hour and a half tapping into their creativity for the Halloween season at the Fruitland Park Library.
Chrissy Gordon, Fruitland Park Library program coordinator, said the goal of the “Paint with Chrissy” session Oct. 8 was to have fun and encourage community engagement. The art session is a part of new programs Gordon is organizing after about two months in her new position.
“I am hoping to bring higher end programming to the library,” she said. “With an event like this, it is about their creativity. They get to paint whatever they like without feeling restricted.” Libraries across Lake County are offering family-friendly activities ahead of Halloween, including guessing how many candy corns are in a jar at the Fruitland Park Library, crafting cemetery globes at the Lady Lake Public Library and a special screening of “Young Frankenstein” at the Leesburg Public Library.
Gordon put up images of pumpkins, candy corn, ghosts and fall trees to give the class of five participants some fall- and Halloween-themed inspiration. Each person was tasked with creating a customized pumpkin.
Leslie Savage, of the Village of Gilchrist, said she decided to paint a pumpkin to tie together the seasons through Thanksgiving. She and her friends frequently attend programs at the library.
“The library is very open and receptive to meeting the needs of older people,” she said. “We have met people here at the library and continued to be friends with them as we see them outside the library.”
The library at 604 W. Berckman St. is also offering a magical mixture of colors and materials to help Lake County residents create custom potion decor. Its Potion Decor class set for 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday is part of a new adult craft series. Spots are limited, so interested residents are encouraged to call or stop by the library to sign up for the first-come, first-serve class.
Younger patrons can join in on the fun through a variety of Halloween-themed activities.
“This is a very exciting time of year and I love Halloween,” said Emily Wood, Fruitland Park Library children and teen program coordinator. “My goal is to make it feel comfortable, cozy and fun here at the library. I want families to celebrate the holiday in a safe environment.”
Kids can test their math skills at the Children’s Library from Oct. 19-23, as they attempt to guess the number of candy corns in a jar. The person whose guess is the closest to the actual amount will win all the candy corn.
Outside of the library also is transforming into pumpkin patch from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 21. After a story time that will include dance time, there will be a craft session where little ones up to 5 years old are invited to pick their own pumpkin to decorate.
The ongoing activities will continue the following week with the library’s Halloween Scavenger Hunt. Whether you are searching for Bigfoot behind a stack of books or a witch looking for a book of spells, the goal of the game is to find the eight Halloween creatures learning in the Children’s Library from Oct. 26-30.
The library will be filled with even more little monsters during its trick-or-treat event from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 28.
Woody said several of the Fruitland Park Library’s activities have become like new weekly traditions.
“I started doing this back in the summer and it was a big hit,” she said. “Last week, we read “Llamma Llama” and I put eight pictures around the Children’s Library. If they found them all, they got to pick a gift from the treasure box. They also like guessing how much candy is in a jar because they like to try to do math to figure it out.”
Lady Lake Public Library The Halloween activities at the Lady Lake Public Library will begin with a chilling good story time about Florida.
During the Haunted History of Florida program, historian and author Christopher Daily will give an eerie and immersive presentation of local ghost legends rooted in real events.
The Haunted History of Florida, from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, offers a peek into the dark side of the Sunshine State, from the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine to the gangster-era violence that occurred at the Ma Barker House in Ocklawaha. Registration is not required for the event at the library, 225 W. Guava St., Lady Lake.
The following day, the focus will be on teens with the Cemetery Globes Teen Craft session, during which kids 12 years and older are invited to craft a creepy terrarium from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
It’s not Halloween without a little dress up. Children are invited to dress as their favorite characters to enjoy the Trick or Treat Story Time from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 28. Geared toward building early literacy skills and recommended for kids 5 and younger, the program will feature stories, songs and crafts.
As a slight shift in plans, the library is inviting families to dress up and trick-or-treat on a small trail around the library.
And finally, the library is hosting a free movie screening of “Scooby Doo Zombie Island.” The 1998 animated comedy horror film will be shown from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Oct. 30 at the library.
Leesburg Public Library The Leesburg Public Library is bringing the dead back to life through a screening of “Young Frankenstein.”
The 1974 PG-13 film directed by Mel Brooks will be shown from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 23 at the library, 100 E Main St., Leesburg. Light refreshments will be provided. Registration for the event is required.
Younger Leesburg residents will be welcome to dress up and enjoy Halloween-themed stories, songs and a Trick-or-treat Trail through the library from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 29.
Andrew Foster, Leesburg Public Library youth services supervisor, said programs like the Trick-or-treat Trail are part of the library’s weekly story time.
“The trail is a way to do something a little extra,” he said. “It’s very well-received yearly. Kids come dressed in their costumes and they are thrilled to share about who they are wearing. It’s a really great experience and fun to see.”
To learn more about the programs offered at either Lake County library, visit mylakelibrary.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
