By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – The Parnell Memorial Library Foundation hosted the inaugural Backyard BookFest on Saturday, March 8.

The foundation exists to raise money for the library, and the Backyard BookFest ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 940 Island Street, the de facto “backyard” of Parnell Memorial Library.

The event featured a plethora of activities for avid readers, including book vendors, authors, trivia, kids’ activities, a costume contest and more. All funds raised at the event went directly to the Parnell Memorial Library.

Marissa Wilson, the library’s director, discussed the inspiration behind the Backyard BookFest.

“The Parnell Memorial Library Foundation wanted to create an event that highlights the love of reading and showcases all of the great resources available at our local library,” Wilson said. “Other communities hold book festival type events, but we wanted to host one that was uniquely Montevallo that showcased all the great ways to enjoy books, reading and the library in a fun vibrant festival.”

Wilson also believes that the event adds to Montevallo’s distinct charm and unique events.

“Montevallo is known for its fun festivals and activities and we wanted to host one that celebrates reading and the integral part that the Parnell Memorial Library plays in our community,” Wilson said. “The library is a hub for the community. Not only is it a place to find your new favorite book, it is a place to gather for meetings, clubs, arts, theatre and volunteering. It truly is community.”

The community that the library has, according to Wilson, was also the main goal of the event.

“The main goal for this event was to bring together the community and the love of reading, as well as support for the public library,” Wilson said. “We wanted to show another aspect of the arts, in the terms of literacy and reading, but to make it fun.”

The event offered opportunities for both children and adults, fostering a family-friendly environment.

“It was a very family-friendly event,” Wilson said. “We had a children’s story time, trivia and author talks just tailored for kids, just like we had adult activities, like author talks, trivia and a small publishing workshop.”

The vendors at the event came from across the Southeast, offering a variety of items for attendants.

“We posted the event on social media, and the authors just started coming in,” Wilson said. “It was definitely via social media and word of mouth. Several came from Montgomery, all the way from north Alabama and some even came from Georgia. We hope this event will just get bigger and bigger. We had several author vendors, as well as book artisans, those who made bookmarks, stickers and book jewelry. We also had several food trucks and kid activities throughout the event. The vendors also seemed to enjoy the event, and most said they would be happy to come back. They also loved that the funds went to support the local public library.”

Wilson then outlined the costume contest in detail, saying it was one of the bigger highlights of the event.

“The costume contest was a hit,” Wilson said. “We had four categories: Best Overall, Most Creative, Best Storybook and People’s Choice. Our Best Overall winner was the Mad Hatter, Most Creative was No David, Best Storybook was Tom Sawyer, and People’s Choice was Rodrick (from) ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’. We loved that everyone wanted to dress up and participate. Each winner won a $25 cash prize.”

The event raised around $5,000 for the Parnell Memorial Library, but Wilson is equally excited about the awareness raised at the event.

“The Parnell Memorial Library Foundation wanted to bring awareness not only to the foundation by helping and giving through donations, but to bring awareness to the library,” Wilson said. “The public library is so important to communities, and we want to show what we have to offer through free programs, books, resources and services.”

Wilson added that the Parnell Memorial Library Foundation plans to make the event a yearly one.

“We do plan on making this an annual event,” Wilson said. “We would love to continue to watch it grow and to just spread the love of literacy to our community.”

For more information on the Parnell Memorial Library, visit Parnellmemoriallibrary.org.