SHARPSBURG, PA – Sharpsburg Community Library (SCL) patrons are invited to “go there and back again” with a unique Hobbit Day Program celebrating “all things Tolkien.” John Ronald Reuel “J.R.R.” Tolkien was an English writer and philologist famous for authoring high fantasy works, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Those works were adapted into some of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time and earned Tolkien an international legion of fans spanning generations. The free Hobbit Day program is slated for 6 to 7:30 p.m. September 22, in the library courtyard, where there will be “no admittance except on party business,” as the books’ characters say. SCL Branch Manager Sara Mariacher said the date marks the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, “beloved protagonists” of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, respectively. “As a lifelong ‘Tolkienite,’ first introduced to the properties by my late father – a ‘Tolkienite’ himself – I found it serendipitous that this year’s Hobbit Day falls on a Monday when we have no regularly scheduled evening programs,” Mariacher said. “What better way to celebrate Hobbit Day than through a library program where we bring elements of Bilbo’s ‘eleventy-first’ birthday to life?” Hobbits are a fictional race of people in Tolkien’s novels, known for being half the average human height; living barefoot with naturally tough feet; having curly hair; living in underground houses built into hillsides in a settlement called The Shire; and many other quirks. Mariacher said the goal, weather permitting, is to turn the courtyard into Sharpsburg’s very own Shire, complete with themed snacks, cozy crafts, and “trivia that will stump the wisest of the wizards.” Attendees are encouraged to wear hobbit-inspired fashion and costumes. Hobbit Day is an all-ages program. Children younger than third grade may attend with an adult. “This celebration of the Shire and Tolkien’s monumental literary work will remind us ‘that there’s some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for,’” Mariacher said. To register for Hobbit Day, visit https://coopersiegel.librarycalendar.com/event/hobbit-day-31316. For more information about Sharpsburg Community Library, including upcoming programming, visit www.coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org/sharpsburg/.
For media inquiries, contact Communications & Marketing Specialist Kaylie Glaze at 412-828-9520, ext. 5012, or glazek@coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org. Sharpsburg Community Library, a branch of CooperSiegel Community Library, serves all Fox Chapel School District communities.
