Storybook Ball Bring Children’s Classic to Life

Library lovers of Mill Valley: don’t be late for a very important date. To the Storybook Ball, that is.

In what they anticipate will become an annual occasion, the ’s new Storybooks committee is hosting its signature event, the Storybook Ball, this Sunday at the . With Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland as its inspiration, organizers hope not only to raise funds for library programs, but also to nurture a love of reading in the library’s youngest constituents.

The Ball is a two-part affair: first, the Mad Hatter Tea Party, a small, pre-ball event that sold out within hours, from 3 p.m. to 3.45 p.m.; and then the main attraction – the ball itself – from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Limited tickets are still available for the ball.) The event is billed as a parent-child dance for kids ages 4-9, and is geared for the entertainment of little gentlemen as much as for little ladies.

Bringing books to life for children and teens is central to the mission of Storybooks, an advocacy group working to further community-wide appreciation and support for the 100-year old public library. Caren Orum, a member of the Mill Valley Library Foundation Board as well as a founding member of Storybooks , says the group is comprised of 12 mothers, all heavy library-users with their families.

Orum, a parent herself, saw Storybooks as “a way to feel really involved with the community,” and has been gratified to see all the support that the Storybook Ball has generated in the community.

“Whether it’s the people on the committee or people here in town, it’s been great to see all the excitement out there,” she said. Orum was familiar with other local library booster groups, in particular the Tiburon Library’s Bookmarks group, and also saw a need for a signature children’s event here in Mill Valley. She agreed, at the suggestion of Foundation Board president Urban Carmel, to help jumpstart Storybooks as a way to address both needs.

Imagining a fun, creative event that would represent the mission of the library, her thoughts turned back to a Father-Daughter Dance that her husband and daughter had attended in support of Old Firehouse pre-school. Impressed with the quality of that fundraiser, she got in touch with its organizers – Cherity Payne, Peg Baumert and Penny Schutz – and invited them to produce something similar, though on a much larger scale.

Promising an afternoon that will “blow people away,” Payne describes the ball as a “full-on experience rather than just a party. As they enter, people will be walking through the rabbit hole, and will be transported to Wonderland.”

Once inside Carroll’s imaginary, nonsensical world, entertainment will include dancing; face painting; professional photography stations (attendees can download images at no charge after the event); a magic show by Timothy James; a croquet court; and appearances by Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar and White Rabbit, courtesy of the Stark Ravens Historical Players. Food and drink will be provided for revelers of all ages (parents take note: will be on hand with a beer-tasting station).

So how did the committee settle on Carroll's classic as its first literary inspiration?  As Payne describes it, “we didn’t want to do something too serious. Alice in Wonderland offered so much to work with, it’s so rich visually and the story has so much humor, we thought we could make it both enticing and approachable.”

Amidst the folly of Alice and her misadventures, there remains, of course, a serious aim for this event: raising money to support the library’s vast number of free programs. Money raised from Sunday's ticket sales, as well as a raffle and silent auction, will support, among other programs, “Wednesdays on Stage,” a free weekly performance for kids in the outdoor amphitheater during the summer months.

Five months into a high-profile , the well-loved Mill Valley institution continues to expand its programming beyond the traditional confines of a library, with a whole range of free, community-oriented events. As Orum points out, “The Library was founded in 1911, and it’s now 2011. As we look forward to the next hundred years, we have to make sure we’re doing everything to keep the library in line with the times.”

With Sunday’s Storybook Ball poised to capture the imaginations of  Mill Valley’s youngest readers, the library’s next century looks to be in very good hands.

The 411: The Storybook Ball takes place Sunday, May 15 at the , from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are available for advance purchase here.