26 hours in Fenwick’s John Gearen Library seems like a lot, but not when those 26 hours are filled with Don Quixote themed activities! From February 17 to February 18, nearly 50 Fenwick Friars participated in a celebration of all things Don Quixote at Leviathan Book Club’s Don Con.
Don Con consisted of many fun activities relating to Don Quixote including themed bingo, board games, temporary tattoos, a reading marathon, multiple film adaptations of the famed story, and more. According to Club Captain Chloe Broaddus, the best part of the whole experience was getting to enjoy the experience with her friends and other participants. “We all had this sense of unity during the whole event, and I finished Don Con considerably closer with a lot of people than when the event started,” said Chloe. Students enjoyed asking each other to sign their Don Quixote copies in yearbook fashion, a testament to this newfound camaraderie.
In addition to bonding with members of the community, participants got to enjoy food, drinks, and prizes donated by 10 local businesses. “I personally spent a lot of time with one of the jigsaw puzzles,” said one of the club’s moderators, Mrs. Gallinari. Participants almost finished the 1,000 piece puzzle while also building a Lego castle. Chloe Broaddus said she enjoyed jousting with inflatable swords, although she may have sustained a couple bruises. Along with these activities, participants had the option to enjoy themed coloring books, a photo backdrop with props, and reader raffles.
More than a full day of fun was not made possible without the help of many different people. Mrs. Gallinari gives a huge shout out to Ms. Shoffer, the club’s other moderator, and the BFG prop team for constructing a windmill podium to help transform the library into a “castle playland.” Many faculty and staff members worked hard to make this event possible, especially Ms. Tichacek, who supported the whole event, Fr. J.P., who came for the 3-6am shift, and all other chaperones. In addition, she gives big props to Captain Chloe Broaddus, who “deserved a medal for her leadership and tireless effort.”
Fenwick Friars can look out for more events from the Leviathan Book Club in the future. The Club would like to organize an annual reading marathon event or even another convention next year. In addition, there will be smaller Don Quixote related events to continue celebrating the famed work of Cervantes and the club overall.
