In a world in which we’re bombarded by screens, a break can be welcome.
Cue Adult Board Game Night at Durango Public Library.
On the first Tuesday of every month, people age 17 and older are invited to join other adults to play games that are not the usual, ho-hum time-killers of days past.
Participants have been meeting for nearly a year, and Daisy Grice, adult services supervisor, said it has turned into a popular program, with groups numbering anywhere from about eight to 20 people and ranging in age from students at Fort Lewis College to people in their 80s.
Games start at 6 p.m. and technically end at 7:30, but Grice said that most nights, people are still playing when the library starts closing at 8.
Adult Board Game Night is just one of the programs the library offers for adults, said Colleen Galvin, assistant director of the library. While there are two consistent, in-house programs – games for adults and Books and Brews – she said the library also partners with the wider community to offer additional events, such as the Indie Lens Pop-Up Movies Screening Series.
Galvin said the programs for adults provide an important service.
“They connect people with their community, and they encourage lifelong learning,” she said.
And if the laughing coming from the game room Jan. 9 was any indication, Adult Board Game Night is also all about having fun.
Walking in, you’ll find long tables throughout the room with games at the ready. The group of eight people was playing Bang! from Italy. A “Spaghetti Western” in a card game, Bang! brings to life Wild West shoot-outs. It’s not a familiar game such as, say, Monopoly or Scrabble, and that’s part of what makes Adult Board Game Night fun, Grice said.
“That’s pretty typical of this,” she said. “People come and are very open to trying games they’ve never heard of, never seen.”
In fact, people were learning the rules of the game as they played.
And there’s no commitment to stick around for the entire night, Grice said. “It operates like an open house. People will play a game and wander out, people can wander in throughout the night.”
She said the idea for the program came from library patrons who were new to town and were looking to meet people.
Volunteer Matt Bullard is also a founder of the group. He moved to Durango about a year and a half ago.
“I’ve been really getting into board games, but I didn’t have anybody to play with, so I thought, ‘The library checks out games, so why not go and play games?’ So I encouraged them to get the stuff together and helped them organize it,” Bullard said.
“It’s a good way to meet other people that have a common interest, who like to do the things I like to do, and play with people you might not ordinarily play games with.”
Grice said game nights help feature another aspect of the library’s collection, and a lot the games played can be checked out.
“Also, I think the library does serve as a community gathering place, so this really speaks to that. There’s no cost, and everyone’s welcome. The group is really opening and welcome.
“It’s a great way to meet people,” she said. “It’s something different than just heading to the bar.”
katie@durangoherald.com
If you go
What:
Adult Board Game Night
When:
6 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month
Where:
Program Room No. 1, Durango Public Library, 1900 East Third Ave.
More information:
Visit
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