Birthday celebration for a puppy

The dogs at Father’s John’s Animal Shelter in Lafayette will benefit from a 30th birthday party thrown at the Sparta Library for Spot, the fictional dog. Not the dog in the Dick and Jane Readers in the 1930’s, but the pre-school canine character created by England’s Eric Hill. Sparta’s Public Library staff organized the event as a way to give children more exposure to the library and for families to get together for a little fun. Three groups of 15 children, ranging from pre-K to kindergarten, participated in the celebration. For an hour, each group colored their paper crowns, had their picture taken with Spot (a small stuffed animal) and were able to take a print home that day, received balloons and coloring papers, hunted for pictures of Spot that were hung around the Childrens Room in the library and were treated to cupcakes and juice. In honor of Spot’s birthday celebration, each participant was asked to contribute, in lieu of a gift for Spot, an item to be donated to Father John’s Animal Shelter in Lafayette for the care of the canines there.