By Ellen Cameron
Staff Writer
“Was that a … hobbit?”
The question was not so outlandish on Thursday, Sept. 23 at William T. Cozby Library at 7:15 p.m., when my shocked friend turned to me after a boy looking suspiciously hobbit-like passed us.
And yes, it was a hobbit.
The library hosted a Hobbit Party, open to all ages to celebrate the birthday of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Though the character’s canon birthday was the day before, scheduling conflicts pushed it back. However, it was still safely within in the limits of National Tolkien Week.
While the majority of the participants in the Hobbit party were children, the party was open to all ages, and Coppell High School was also represented.
“The Lord of the Rings is something for all ages and all types of people,” senior Krysia Garcia said. “And I like hobbits. They’re small and cute and the central species in the novel. They’re four feet small, adorable, and I love them.”
The party featured a costume contest, trivia contest, party popper craft table, Lord of the Rings board game, maps of Middle Earth to color, English-to-Elvin translation charts and, as required for any true Hobbit party, lots of food. Music from the movie soundtrack played in the background, adding a touch of ambience.
A figurine of Gollum was given to the winner of the costume contest, while the winning team of the trivia contest was awarded a gift basket of Tolkien books. All partygoers were given a ring and gift bag.
Love of hobbits is apparent in America. In six years, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has become the 10th highest grossing movie in the U.S. of all time, while the book series has sold more than 150 million copies. Hobbit fanatics have gone so far as to translate the Bible into Elvish, a language Tolkien created for the book.
“I once met someone in Austin who spoke Elvish when I was visiting the University of Texas,” Garcia said.
2009 CHS graduate Dillon Vernon, who was also in attendance, admitted a bit of a predilection for hobbits as well.
“I went to see the Return of the Rings midnight premiere,” Vernon said. “And I played a little Battle for Middle Earth 2 in my day.”
The Coppell librarians seem to love the fictional creatures as well.
“We love The Lord of the Rings,” librarian Sarah Silverthorne said. “We’re kind of nerds. Maybe next year we’ll have a battle, like a recreation of Helm’s Deep, and fight in the parking lot.”
While this may be a jest, the library programs are no joke; the library hosted Festival of Nations in mid-September and has a medley of events planned for October, including a teen focus group and after-hours Halloween party. A Percy Jackson party is also in the works.
“We have a lot of great programs,” librarian Lilia Gans said. “We really want people come and talk to us and ask questions. We’re friendly people and love our jobs.”
The library is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but closes at 6 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, the library is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students are welcome to come by any time to ask about library programs or ask questions about the focus group. For more information, see the library Web site by clicking here.
Until next time, keep reading; make a hobbit of it.
