Friends of the Library held their November meeting on Tuesday, November 12th. Several items were discussed, including the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which is available to children from birth until their 5th birthday. The program provides each child with one book a month. Currently, there are only two Spanish language books, and they hope to add more in the future. The Hennessey Library and the Hennessey United Organization made funding contributions. Volunteers help cover the postage and administration fees, making the books totally free for the children. 341 enrolled in Kingfisher County, and it is estimated that ⅓ of those children are Hennessey residents.
The Pumpkin Patch faced a few obstacles this year, one of which was a hot October. The group discussed whether or not this was something that they wanted to continue or add to it to attract more pumpkin sales. Although they did make a profit, the possibility of cutting back on the number of pumpkins and haybales was discussed to help with profits.
Librarian Steven Mitchell reported that about 900 people came through the Haunted Library, which was slightly lower than the previous year but not by much. The library ran out of candy in an hour, and Steven had to run and purchase more. This year, Hennessey High School students and community members really stepped up to help. It was considered to be a success.
The FOL Chili cookoff will be held at the school on February 8th, the Saturday before the Super Bowl. Discussions were held about changing it a bit this year to encourage our Hispanic residents to participate. Everything is still in the planning stages, but this year, they plan to add soups, stews, and Mexican beans to the chili contest. They would like at least 20 contestants overall. It is always a fun event, and door prizes and prizes for the winners will be given out.
