The Haddonfield Public Library is getting into the Halloween spirit with fun Halloween-themed activities for young residents.
“(Our Halloween events) are just another fun thing for the community to participate in at the library,” children’s librarian Jordan Bilodeau said.
The library kicked off the events with a Halloween pottery class on Monday, Oct. 17. The class provided children ages 5 and up with a Halloween-themed piece of pottery from Paint A Treasure to paint. Children were provided with the materials they needed to decorate their pottery in their own special way, and were able to take the pieces home that day.
The children’s Fall Cooking Class on Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m. also will have a Halloween theme. The special treat the kids will be making is yet to be determined, but will accommodate all children with food allergies. The class will not include actual cooking, as the library does not have a stove for safety reasons, but will be prepared foods the children can assemble in a fun way.
Continuing in the spirit of the holiday is a library movie night on Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. featuring “Hotel Transylvania,” a 92-minute animated family-friendly film. The film is about Count Dracula, who owns a lavished hotel specifically for monsters, when an unexpected human makes his way into the hotel and causes a mess of problems.
“It’s a really cute movie. I was trying to find an animated Halloween movie that children of all ages could watch, and this seemed like a great pick,” Bilodeau said.
For the week of Oct. 24, all children’s story times invite children to dress up in their Halloween costumes and experience Halloween-themed stories, crafts and fun. The library staff will set up trick-or-treat stations throughout the library after the story times and allow the children to go around and get some special treats.
“It is something we do every year, and the kids have a lot of fun with it,” Bilodeau said.
For people of all ages, the library is selling tickets for the Haunted Haddonfield Walking Tours, coordinated by the Historical Society of Haddonfield. Listen to stories of haunted places in town. The tours begin at 7 p.m. at Greenfield Hall and wind past the cemetery and familiar homes along the way.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Tours will be held on Oct. 21, 22, 28 and 29.
Bilodeau said these are a preview of the library’s new children’s programing. There will be a themed cooking class and children’s movie every month.
A new Lego club for children will also start on Oct. 28 at 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for ages 5 and up. Bilodeau said she heard and saw interest in Lego clubs at schools and other libraries, so she has been wanting to start one. Bilodeau said children do not need to bring their own Legos, as the library will provide them.
Another fun addition is a monthly contest for kids. This month is a contest around Haddy the Hadrosaurus. October is National Dinosaur Month, so the library is holding a contest for children to create a birthday card for Haddy. Five winners will be chosen to receive signed copies of “Happy Birthday, New Jersey!” by local author Christie Castorino, which features Haddy. Entries can be dropped off at the children’s department. Be sure to leave a name and phone number. All cards will be displayed in the children’s department after the contest.
The children’s programs are all funded by the Haddonfield Friends of the Library.
“We appreciate their support,” Bilodeau said.
All classes and programs require registration in advance. To see if registration is still available, email Bilodeau at jbilodeau@haddonfieldlibrary.org.
