Every week the Town Crier blog looks back at Seattle’s near-forgotten Town Crier magazine to see what was happening, and talk about what’s happening now. One of the largest sections of the original Town Crier was “What People Are Doing,” highlighting things like, “The Junior Prom takes place tonight at the Masonic Temple” and, “The Smith College Club of Seattle is giving a series of dances at the Women’s University Club to aid in raising the $4,000,000 endowment fund for their alma mater.” In this series we’re revisiting the old column and tying it to our community’s current happenings, asking: “what are people doing?”

Some excellent children’s entertainment was available over a century ago. The April 24, 1919 edition of the Town Crier informs us of a fascinating show. “On April 30 and May 1 Miss Cornish is taking her group of six puppeteers to Portland, where they will present the plays of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Columbine’ at the Little Theater.” That would have been a show to see! It certainly brought lots of entertainment to the kids—a real necessity, both then and now.

Luckily, the Seattle Public Library is here to deliver a much-needed dose of children’s programming for parents in quarantine. Their Virtual Story Time event aimed at toddlers present stories, rhymes, songs, and fun with their children’s librarian. No doubt these streams will be just as big a hit as Miss Cornish’s puppet shows: “Four performances were planned, but the house was so quickly sold out for two of them a wire was sent asking for a fifth.” 

You can check out Virtual Story Time events on the SPL’s facebook page, or the online calendar on their website. Happy National Library Week!