As published in the Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Bluffton News-Banner
If you drove through downtown Bluffton on a recent Friday evening and saw flashing lights on
the dark second level of the Wells County Public Library and wondered, “What is going on in
there?” let me tell you: You missed out.
It was Family Fun Night, an after-hours event featuring 18 holes of mini-golf throughout the first
level and laser tag upstairs for the willing. I was willing. Once. (I was immediately seen as a
threat, although I’m not sure why, and they ganged up on me. Am I getting too old to hang with
the kids?)
Mini golf is always a popular fundraiser for WCPL. The library staff meticulously create and set
up themed holes throughout the first level of the library — from current hit movies (“Wicked” and
“Minecraft”) to old character favorites (superheroes and Pokemon) and incorporating items from
around the library (the shelves, games and books). If you can’t picture it, just know it’s incredibly
fun to play golf in and out of the stacks.
But new this year: An after-hours Family Fun Night including arcade games and laser tag. Brave
participants were able to team up in timed battles in a section of the library — the upstairs —
that is usually reserved for quiet work. At one point, well after my one-and-done adventure, my
son waited patiently for about 15 minutes to get into a battle due to the interest in the activity.
We ended up closing the place down at 9 p.m.
The arcade games were also a hit. We had a blast rotating between Pac Man, Dig Dug and
Space Invaders. Sometimes classic games can be enjoyed in a new space (i.e., a public library
meeting room).
I hope it was a successful fundraiser as it’s needed now more than ever.
I’ve used this space previously to share how vital this facility has been to my family’s quality of
life these past several years. I know I’m not the only one. An outpouring of support flooded the
WCPL Facebook page after an announcement to service changes was made March 3.
Citing recent state legislation that will hurt the budgets of taxing units such as libraries and
public school corporations, WCPL announced changes to services effective this month. Many
people are sad to see Hoopla go, for example, and I assume I’ll see longer wait times through
my Libby app due to decreasing budgets for e-books.
“Thank you to all of our faithful library users,” WCPL shared. “Each change was made with
careful consideration to lessen the impact on our community, while still allowing us to
complete our mission of providing access, knowledge, and growth to Wells County. Should
you wish to contact your local State Legislators to discuss these impacts, you can find that
information available here: https://iga.in.gov/information/find-legislators”
The library also shared that they are anticipating a budgetary decrease of about 12-15 percent
in 2026 and possibly more in the future.
“Recent legislation in Indiana, especially Senate Enrolled Act 1 (SEA 1), is cutting public library
funding by reducing state library budgets, eliminating grants for internet access, and diminishing
allocations of local income and property taxes. These funding cuts to public library budgets will
force libraries to cut costs that may include reduced hours, staff, and services. Currently, WCPL
will be focusing on cutting services, reducing spending budgets, and increasing meeting room
fees,” the library shared.
Now is the time to support the WCPL by checking out materials, attending events and renting
the wonderful spaces the library offers. The library continues to do so much for our community
and we need to show how much we appreciate having such a fantastic library system in Wells
County.
I know there is a lot going on in the world at the moment and I certainly don’t want to downplay
any of it. Each national and international headline seems more dire than the last. But in a world
of chaos, I have often found peace at WCPL — watching patrons quietly put together a puzzle,
kids playing games with friends from school or just new friends they met that day, moms
chatting over said games, browsing the shelves for old favorites and soon-to-be favorites.
The library is a place where all are welcomed. Let’s make sure we are able to keep WCPL
around for years to come.
Jessica Williams Bricker 