RICHLAND, Wash. – Every second Tuesday of the month, the Richland Public Library hosts either a “Build It” or “Fix It” program where participants can engage in hands-on woodworking projects.
Nonstop Local spoke with Mary Brown-Elmore, an enthusiastic library staff member who spearheaded the initiative. Brown-Elmore said, “…I wanted to teach people how to do basic builds, and I’m fortunate enough to have a supervisor, Michelle Hafner, who lets me pretty much bring all my dreams to a reality.”
The program focuses on creating items like birdhouses, bee houses, and bird feeders, catering to both garden enthusiasts and book lovers.
Brown-Elmore shared, “I love doing things for the garden and the outdoors. I am just starting to get into bird watching. So having these outside definitely helps bring birds to my yard. We’ve also done book-related builds because we’re obviously the library.”
The Build It and Fix It programs are open to all ages, encouraging everyone from 8 to 99 years old to participate.
Brown-Elmore emphasized the inclusiveness, saying, “I’m particularly thrilled to see people my age come in and build something for the first time. They’ve never hammered anything. They’ve never screwed anything together. And we’re doing simple, straightforward builds, and it’s giving them so much confidence to then tackle more things.”
Brown-Elmore passion for woodworking stems from personal interest in the hobby. She also spoke about Arthur, a woodworker and carpenter who helps with many of the projects at the Richland Public Library, who offers to cut the wood for Build It for free.
The Richland Public Library continues to offer these creative opportunities to the community, encouraging people to build skills and confidence.
For more information about the Build It/Fix It programs and other events, visit the Richland Public Library’s website.
