Hoover Public Library overrun with kids for Nightmare Before Halloween event

The Hoover Public Library was overrun with ninjas, Stormtroopers, princesses and cartoon characters Friday night for the library’s annual children’s Halloween event.

Library officials estimated that about twice as many people showed up for this year’s event compared to last year, when 880 people came, but the crowd was so big that library workers had to quit counting at the door after they reached 1,000 so they could help manage the crowds at activity stations, said Jeremy Davis, coordinator of the children’s department.

The parking lots at the library and Hoover Municipal Center were completely full, and overflow parking spilled onto Municipal Lane. Davis said he’s not sure what prompted the much larger crowd this year, but the children seemed to enjoy themselves.

This year’s theme was the Nightmare Before Halloween, and the library was decorated with themes from movies directed by Tim Burton, such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”

Library personnel dressed up as characters from the movies, posed with the children for pictures and helped them with craft activities and games. There also were some snacks.

Eight-year-old Marilyn Mena of Pelham has come to the event every year since she was a baby and loves it, her mother said. This year, she came dressed as the Cheshire cat from “Alice in Wonderland” and got there with her parents 25 minutes before the library opened at 7 p.m. for the two-hour event. She was so excited to see all the library workers dressed up in their costumes, her mother said. The event is always special to her, but this year it was like magic, she said.

Eric Hildreth of Woodstock said this is his family’s third year to come. His wife heard about it three years ago, and they came to check it out and really enjoyed it, he said. “It’s really nice of the library to put on a free event like this.”

Chad Lee of the Bluff Park community said his wife and two children come every year as well. This year, he came dressed as Hulk Hogan, while his wife was a witch, his 10-year-old daughter Sydney was in a Harry Potter costume, and his 6-year-old son Harrison was a pirate.

“The library does everything top-notch,” Lee said. “They’ve helped raise my two kids. We’re here for all the kids’ events.”