‘Ready, Set, Assemble’: Registration open for annual Puzzle Contest

KIMBALL -- If you’re looking for a fun activity that challenges your brain while letting out your competitive spirit, the library’s annual Puzzle Contest might just be for you. 

The 9th annual Friends of the Library Puzzle Contest will be held February 1 at 1 p.m. at the Kimball Library where teams of two will race to complete a 500-piece puzzle, and the top three winners will receive a cash prize. 

Registration is open until January 29 and costs $25 per team. 

Librarian Devina Butler encourages anyone to join their biggest, most popular event of the year. 

“I can’t see the puzzles because I participate; I love it; it's my favorite activity of the year,” Butler said. “It’s really fun to be among a group of people that enjoy puzzling, whether you like to do it fast or not, just participating in that environment is enjoyable.” 

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, who covers the cost of puzzles and prizes, and the proceeds go toward their fund that goes back to helping support the library. 

“The Friends of the Library’s sole purpose is to help the library, so they frequently host various fundraisers throughout the year including the puzzle contest,” Butler said. 

The library has a collection of puzzles that are available to the community to check out whenever they'd like and for those who want to get practice completing puzzles before the big competition. 

“We have puzzles from 25 pieces to 1,500 pieces for anyone who loves puzzling but doesn’t necessarily like the speed or the competition aspect,” Butler said. “You don’t even need a library card, we just mark down however many you have, and you can take them and keep them until you finish them. We are also always taking donations to add to the collection.”