Families 'escape' winter blues during event
SLIPPERY ROCK — Adei Atwell knows the secret ingredients to make indoor snow.
The Slippery Rock Area Middle School sixth-grader was one of the youths inside an “escape room” at the Slippery Rock Community Library on Friday who used their brain power to crack the code to a box that housed the ingredients.
“Melts, melts, melts,” said Adei, 11, with excitement as he shouted the lock combination code word that solved the escape room puzzle.
Adei said the lack of snow outside dampened Christmas break, but he definitely warmed up to using his brainpower to crack the escape room code.
When he decided to volunteer at the library, Adei ended up having fun at the Friday event.
“It's not even community service,” Adei said of how volunteering turned into entertainment rather than work.
Adei was one of the 40 children and families who dropped in Friday at the Slippery Rock Community Library on North Main Street for its Family Fun Day.
In addition to the escape room, activities included a scavenger hunt, Lego, puzzles, board games, trivia and crafts.
Karen Pierce, library director, said Friday's activities were the first time the library hosted an event over winter break.When the library closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Pierce decided to open its doors Friday for the special event.In the days after Christmas, she figured children might grow tired of their Christmas toys.“I thought families would be saying to themselves, 'Oh my goodness, it's time to get out of the house,'” Pierce said. “Sometimes it's fun to do something you might not have at home.”Nichole Kingston, of Slippery Rock, watched as her 10-year-old daughter aided in the breakout from the escape room.After she saw the event on social media, she decided to attend because of her daughter's specific interest in the escape room.“We thought it would be a fun way to spend the afternoon,” Kingston said. “It was definitely a way to get out of the house and have fun without it costing any money.”Jennifer Ravert of Slippery Rock brought her two sons, ages 9 and 14, to the library.“It was a wonderful opportunity to get out of the house and do a community activity,” Ravert said. “It's pretty fun. The kids enjoyed themselves.”
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