Cathy Metelak noticed the signs and quietly arranged a luncheon for her friends. She gave a slight twist to her luncheon by requesting that each friend bring a new puppet for the library. Her guest list included Joyce Vrajich, Eleanor Hanson, Debbie Horn, Anne Karayan, Susan Zeni, Mary Goodreau, and Peggy Higgins. They were not alone. While volunteering for the 67th annual Art Show, Christine Wayman, saddened by our loss, came back to the library with a check to replace many of our lost puppets.Blanchard’s puppet theater is now the home to a shimmering crab, a shaggy dog, a crabby crocodile, and a whole menagerie of furry animals. “No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”These wonderful women are just a few of the many who put the Community in Blanchard Community Library.
|
Left to right are Eleanor Hanson, Anne Karayan, Sandra Zeni, Mary Goodreay, Debbie Horn, Kathy Metlak, Peggy Higgins. Photo by Don Johnson |
New Puppets for Blanchard Library
February 13, 2004
Santa Paula News
By Paula Clarke
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!”Blanchard Community Library has reason to believe that not only does he exist, but he lives right here in Santa Paula. Recently a refurbished puppet theater was installed by the generosity of the Friends of the Library. It was patterned and constructed by the library’s own fashion designer, Michelle Crilly, with the help of Ilene Gavenman. The Friends were so pleased with the finished product that they purchased dozens of new puppets.Oh! How the children loved these puppets. Their sweet voices could be heard many times during the day putting on their special plays, singing and using different voices for each of the puppets. Sometimes the puppets were used as icebreakers to make the younger children in the Homework Center more comfortable, and sometimes creative play was used as a reward when they finished their work.On some nights, the librarians would have to make a search for the puppets when they were not found in their storage container. They were always discovered lovingly put to bed in some special place in the children’s area. Once it took two days to find them gently tucked in the Gingerbread House for their nap. Alas! One dreary night the puppets were not found. All had gone missing.Librarians searched. Children searched. It was a sad day when the signs went up in the library to announce their loss. That was when the Blanchard Community Library found that there is a Santa Claus.
