Teams compete in puzzle race at South Butler Community Library
SAXONBURG — Putting together a jigsaw puzzle is usually a serene, relaxing hobby. However, for the six teams in the South Butler Community Library puzzle contest on Saturday, July 18, there was no time to relax. They instead raced to assemble a 1,000-piece puzzle as fast as they could.
During the contest, teams of four people worked together to solve one puzzle. Teams could be composed of any four people, regardless of their age or gender. Each team received the same puzzle to solve, and whichever team solved it the fastest won a prize.
A.J. Borez, Katy Gibson, Sara Guest and Emily Green worked together well and completed their puzzle in two hours, 11 minutes and 34 seconds. Their puzzle solving skills earned each team member a $10 gift card for Dollar General.
South Butler Community Library director Michelle Lesniak said she sees puzzle races as a way to bring a different crowd of people into the library.
“We see libraries as a community center, and it really is a community activity, where people who have a common interest get together,” Lesniak said.
The library first became involved with puzzles in 2020, when it was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That year, the library started a puzzle swap program, in which people could exchange their old puzzles for ones new to them.
Puzzle swaps became a quarterly occurrence after the pandemic. With the puzzle swap program’s success, Lesniak decided to add puzzle races three years ago.
Just like the puzzle swap program, the puzzle races grew in popularity and became a quarterly staple at the library. The size of the puzzles also grew, going from 300 pieces in the beginning to 500 pieces.
After several competitors asked for a bigger challenge, Lesniak said she decided to host the library’s first 1,000-piece puzzle race and give them their biggest challenge yet.
Over the years, a group of regular competitors has formed and bonded over the puzzle races, according to Lesniak.
“Most of the people know each other, just because of the number of times they have been here, and so they (the puzzle races) form a bond between different community members,” she said.
In addition to bringing the community together, the puzzle races also allow families to become closer with each other.
Holly Stock said the puzzle races are “good fun” for her family, who were competing in their second puzzle race at the South Butler Community Library.
Stock said her family became interested in puzzles while on vacation. Since then, the family has competed together in multiple puzzle races together.
According to Stock, her family loves to compete both as a family and against each other. Stock said they even planned a puzzle race for their next vacation.
The South Butler Community Library has also planned two more puzzle races for July.
The library will host a 500-piece puzzle race on Monday, July 20, and a 300-piece puzzle race on Thursday, July 30. Both races begin at 6:30 p.m.
