Candy Land a great effort by library staff
Several people spent a long time turning the basement of the Zelienople Area Public Library into a world where children can go for a life-sized escape.
The library’s “Candy Land” room is modeled after the board game, and in 2025, it welcomed more than 550 visitors who checked out the space or played a round of the classic children’s game.
That number is nothing to shake a stick at, and even if just a portion of those visitors looked through the rest of the library for books and reading materials, the effort was well worth it. Not just because it brought people — likely a lot of children — into a place for community and education, but because the Candy Land room demonstrates what is possible through public funding at a library.
Although the props that make up the life-size board game aren’t at the level of Disney World, it’s clearly a labor of care created by the people who staff the library every day. Plus, being able to become a game piece is likely more engaging than even the regular sized Candy Land to the youths who are the target of the project.
Amy Kellner, adult services librarian, said the Zelienople library’s mission statement includes affording people of all ages “a community center dedicated to lifelong learning, enjoyment and discovery.” She said the life-sized Candy Land game is just another example of the library working to engage community members through fun and interesting activities.
So if you haven’t seen the new land in the basement of the Zelienople Area Public Library, take a spin to South High Street to check it out. The last day it will be available is Jan. 17, so there is still plenty of time during this cold month to see the colorful project.
— ET
