ATHOL – In the spirit of Halloween, Athol Public Library is hosting a Zombie Barbie event on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
The event, open to teens ages 12-18, kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and runs for an hour. Registration is required. To sign up go to http://athol.librarycalendar.com/event/zombie-barbies-16753.
The event is being organized by Young Adult Library Technician Emily Boughton, who said, “Anyone interested just has to sign up so we can make sure we have enough room for everybody.”
She added that the age restriction was established because “we really wanted to have something specifically for teens.”
Boughton said she and others at the library have scoured tag sales and thrift markets in recent months, stocking up on Barbies to put into the hands of creative teens and tweens. Boughton said the library currently has about 20 Barbies available.
“We supply the Barbies and all the materials we need to do it,” Boughton said. “Right now, we have Barbies of many various depictions – we even have a mermaid in there. They get to choose one and then zombify it.”
Boughton said participants seemed to enjoy the event when it was offered two years ago, adding that there were no complaints from parents or the community. She said it’s possible the Zombie Barbie event could become an annual happening, but explained the library likes to mix things up to keep things new and interesting.
“We’re always asking the teens what they want to do,” she said. “Sometimes they want to do things again, sometimes they want to do things that are completely fresh.”
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.