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HAZEL PARK — Each year, the Hazel Park District Library has an array of programs that help cement its reputation as a community hub. One of its most popular is Crafts with Santa, where the man in red takes time out of his busy schedule to visit children at the library.
This year’s free event will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, inside the library at 123 E. Nine Mile Road, east of John R Road. As always, every child in attendance will get to spend some quality time with Santa, telling him their Christmas wishes and getting their pictures taken. He will be found in the middle of the library by the Christmas tree.
Those waiting for their turn will get to enjoy seven varieties of make-and-take crafts, such as decorating foam ornaments, scratch art, coloring suncatchers, snap bracelets, and weaving ornaments with craft sticks. There will also be snacks and candy canes, as well as a story time led by Santa himself.
The event has been a holiday tradition for more than 20 years. The library gets into the Christmas spirit with seasonal decor and holiday music playing in the background.
“Santa is always jolly, kind and giving,” said Amy Beem, a youth services librarian, via email. “It’s a magical day the children will always remember.”
For those who haven’t been to the library recently, it will also be an opportunity to check out the new teen area, located by the young adult comic books.
The space was proposed by Beem’s daughter, Grace, a Girl Scout with Troop 90186 in Farmington Hills. Grace Beem pitched it for her Scout project to attain Gold rank, organizing can and bottle drives, and designing the area’s look.
She even secured a grant from the Home Depot in Madison Heights, written by Home Depot team member Lisa Posada, which provided materials for new flooring and walls, volunteers from the store to help finish and install the materials, and new furniture and area rugs.
The space is partially soundproofed with decorative sound-absorbing tiles on one wall and cork on the other walls. There is an 8-foot semicircular booth with cameras and USB ports. The old carpet — more than 50 years old — was replaced with vinyl flooring, while the rigid chairs were replaced with more comfortable alternatives, such as bean bag chairs.
“The teen area is a beautiful space,” said librarian Randy Ernst-Meyer, via email. “It is already being used daily by dozens of teens. Honestly, I cannot thank Grace enough for this amazing environment.”
Beem, the librarian, said that the library didn’t have funds for the project. She said it’s thanks to her daughter, Grace, and the generosity of Team Depot that local teens now have a new-and-improved space to enjoy.
“Our teens love hanging out up there, chatting and playing games,” Beem said. “We have board games, Uno and cards up there for them to use. It is also being used for tutoring. The new whiteboard is perfect for helping with that.”
Beem’s family has a history of enhancing the library. Back in 2019, her son, James Beem, with Farmington Hills Scouts BSA Troop 179, was looking for Eagle Scout project ideas and asked the library how he could help. He was told the library has many puppets for visitors to enjoy, but no puppet theater. So, he and his troop installed one there in November of that year, in what is now the youth area. The puppet theater also features a painting by Beem’s coworker Amber Roberts, with a Mo Willems theme featuring characters for his books.
More recently, another Scout, Nick Calhoun with Madison Heights Scouts BSA Troop 1589, created a puppet rack for the wall, so that the puppets could be freely displayed instead of stashed away in a giant metal bin as they were before. Beem said this was completed in September 2021.
“I am just so appreciative of Nick, James and Grace from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for everything they have done for us,” Beem said. “We’re truly thankful and proud of them for all their hard work and dedication. We also appreciate everything the volunteers of Team Home Depot did — it was a labor of love for everyone involved. The teens love hanging out in their area, and even more now that it looks modern, bright and refreshing.”
Grace Beem said she’s pleased with the reception.
“I love seeing the teens in the new area and enjoying it,” Grace Beem said via email. “I have known many of them for years, so helping give them an improved experience at the library means a lot to me.”
For more information about the Hazel Park District Library, call the library at (248) 546-4095.
