SPRINGFIELD – The 15th annual Books and Brews event, hosted by the Springfield Public Library Foundation, raised funds for the library and museum through donations, games, and raffles on Feb. 21.
A line formed to get through the library doors, and over 150 people squeezed in to party. Chamber members, library and city staff, library supporters, and even Rapid, the Drifters’ dog mascot, gathered at the library that evening to raise funds for materials, furniture, and exhibits, as well as the remodeling project.
A photobooth, button bar, and memory match game let folks enjoy the festivities for free, while paid games like plinko, axe throwing, cornhole, and more allowed people to donate money for a chance to win prizes.
“I’d rather spend my money here than anywhere else on a Saturday night,” said David Hersch, new business owner of the Hersch Wine Lounge in downtown Springfield.
The celebration kicked off with a Lunar New Year blessing and dances from the Oregon Multigenerational Community Center. Drinks were provided by Plank Town Brewing Co. and King Estate Winery. Food was catered buffet-style by PRESS Kitchen.
Emcee and Willamalane board member Chris Wig thanked the 20-plus sponsors for this year’s fundraiser. He also welcomed Springfield Mayor Sean VanGordon to the front to say a few words about the library.
“It is really special for the city of Springfield to see people fill up the library in support and love for their library,” VanGordon said. “Springfield has always been a pro-library community. We’ve been a pro-literacy community, and we’ve been a pro-service community. One of the things that is so important to me is that the librarians are really that first level of service that people see when they experience the city for the first time. I think it’s really important that we just say thank you to them and the work that they do every single day.”
Foundation board member Alma Fumiko Hesus shared her personal experiences growing up and the ladder that libraries have been in her life.
“Educators often talk about the third-grade reading benchmark, that pivotal shift from learning to read to reading to learn,” she said. “If you don’t cross that threshold by the third grade, every subject becomes more challenging. The pathway to progress becomes much steeper. If you don’t hit that benchmark, doors don’t open for you. For me, books were the bridge. Books were the bridge to lessen the steepness of that pathway.”
Raffle winners were announced for donated prizes worth thousands of dollars, like a multi-night stay in Arizona and a Springfield Drifters package with 30 tickets. Fundraising games were held, raising thousands of dollars. The President of the Springfield Public Library Foundation, Andrea Wolf, said closing remarks.
“Your generosity makes literacy, access, history, and community connection possible, and we are deeply grateful. I also want to thank our amazing library and museum staff,” Wolf said. “They are the heart of all of this, every program, every exhibit, every story time, so many tears. It all matters. You serve our community with creativity and care every single day.”
