Bubbling over with summer fun: Library hosts annual Bubblefest

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When blowing bubbles, patience is a virtue and often is rewarded with the biggest bubble.

Ten-year-old Caylin Davis of Seymour learned that lesson Tuesday morning when she and her brother, Corbyn Davis, 7, participated in the annual Bubblefest at the Jackson County Public Library in Seymour.

“You just have to go slow,” Caylin said of the secret to making perfect bubbles.

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Dipping a large wand in a vat of soapy water, she made sure it was covered with the bubble-making solution. She then lifted the wand above her head and moved slowly, allowing the wind to do most of the work.

The result? A long bubble extending outward from the wand.

But even when you do everything right, sometimes, they still pop too soon, Caylin said.

Bubblefest is a highlight of the library’s summer programming, A Universe of Stories, attracting both kids and adults. This year, close to 200 people attended the event, which took place outside the library’s main entrance.

Different stations allowed participants to create bubbles in a variety of shapes and sizes.

There were triangle- and square-shaped wands, homemade foam makers and even gigantic wands made from dowel rods and string. One station let kids launch water balloons at the library wall using a slingshot.

Lola Snyder, head of youth services at the library, said the idea for the event came from a former boss who got it from a book.

“There used to be a book called ‘Bubblefest,’” she said. “I looked online and couldn’t find it, so it may have been self-published in the late ‘80s.”

The previous library Snyder worked at decided to organize a Bubblefest, and it was a hit.

“It was such a success and such fun, I wanted to bring it to Seymour, too,” she said.

This was the fifth year for the library to have a Bubblefest. A similar event was conducted at the Crothersville branch last month.

Although tricky at first, Brynn Burton, 12, of Brownstown liked using the dowel rod wands the best.

“Once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad,” she said. “The bubbles are really big.”

Burton decided she wanted to celebrate her birthday at Bubblefest this year.

“I was looking around for things to do and thought this would be fun,” she said.

And it was, as she got to be around other kids and make bubbles to her heart’s content.

Roland Taha, 5, of Seymour had just as much fun catching bubbles as he did trying to make them.

Holding out his hands, Taha successfully caught bubbles his dad made.

It was Taha’s smile and excitement that makes Bubblefest such a great event, Snyder said.

“Everyone has fun,” she said.

Brenda Spradlin of Seymour said she heard about the event on the radio and decided to bring her grandson, Jameson Baldwin, 11, of Vallonia.

Baldwin’s favorite station was where he blew foamy bubbles through a Coke bottle. He got so good at it that he soon had a handful of bubbles that resembled cotton candy.

“It’s just good, clean summer fun,” Spradlin said. “And he’s having a blast.”

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