(STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA / March 2, 2023) – In its continuing Centennial celebration, the Stillwater Public Library (SPL) is hosting a lock-in on Friday, March 17, from 7 to 11 p.m. The event is open to all ages and features all things gaming, including video games from the Mario franchise, board games, RPGs and themed movies. Attendance is free, but donations to the Stillwater Public Library Trust are welcome. Pizza donated by Little Caesars, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s will be available along with other party snacks. Registration is required to attend.

 

According to Stacy DeLano, library director, this program gives the library a chance to celebrate the community’s role in achieving 100 years of library success.

 

“One of our goals was to create a fun event celebrating the children and families that make up the core of our users,” DeLano said. “It is not just a building or staff that make a successful library; it’s the families who introduce the library and reading to their children, generation after generation.”

 

The lock-in will utilize the entire library with entertainment options to appeal to kids, teens and adults.

 

Friendly video game competitions will be run by the Gamers of OSU, Stillwater High School ESports team and GameStop in the north building. Each organization will be set up in a different room with games like Mario Party, Mario Kart and Smash Bros.

 

Jordan Stine, teen librarian, thinks that the video games will be especially appealing to teens, although he’s noticed that board games and RPGs (role-playing games) also tend to be popular.

 

“The library has amassed quite a large collection of board games and card games for teen programs,” Stine said. “Of course, we have the classics, but we also have some newer quirky games like Unstable Unicorns and the Family Edition of Cards Against Humanity.”

 

Children under the age of 13 will need a parent or guardian to accompany them. Teens 13 and older can attend alone with a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian.