On Saturday night over 200 community members gathered at the Ridge Event Hall to participate in the Library’s Pizza Puzzle Pub fundraiser. The event raised additional funds for the library’s remodel project, which includes a large children’s STEM room, 3 new study rooms, an enclosed kids’ computer room, and a renovated programming room. The library raised $4,350 towards the project from the Pizza, Puzzle, Pub fundraiser.
The challenge was to see which team would drink 2 pitchers of beer or soda, eat a large single topping pizza, and complete a 300-piece puzzle first. Over 20 local businesses contributed teams to the “Sioux Center Celebrity” round, with Sioux Center Ambulance, Pottebaum and VanBruggen Certified Public Accountants, and the Sioux Center Chamber of Commerce taking home first second and third place.
The room was full of chatter, laughter and friendly banter between teams. For example, the Chamber ladies were delighted to beat the team from the City, and the People’s Bank team’s primary goal was to beat the team with the mayor on it.
Watching how each business chose a different strategy to work together to get their puzzles, beer and pizza done, was really heart warming. Smiles all around.
The public bracket was similar, with many teams of dedicated puzzlers ready to show off their puzzle skills. The public teams came ready to compete, with fun team names like ” Assembly required,” ” Easy Piece-y” and ” Iowa Jigsaw Massacre” and “Lactose Intolerant Lightweights”
The first place team in the public bracket ” Keeper of the Piece” completed the challenge in 21 minutes.
Second and third places in the public bracket were ” Iowa Jigsaw Massacre” and “Hooked on Puzzles, Worked for me!”
Events like this give me so much love and hope for our community. I left with my cup overflowing with gratefulness, and knowing that the library is a valued and loved part of our community.
Librarian On The Loose 