The Cochrane Public Library took Cochranites back in time at their fourth annual Medieval Day last Saturday (July 27). 

Robes, armour, and crowns were all part of the annual celebration which once again engaged community members of all ages, all day long.

Jeri Maitland, CEO of the Cochrane Public Library, says although they debated hosting Medieval Day again this year, it was hard not to. "We almost didn't do it this year. In January we sat down and thought how do we feel about another Medieval Day?! And we thought maybe we would...maybe we wouldn't do it, but then as things go, the week later we started to get phone calls asking when are you going to have it."

Choosing to go forth and transform the Cochrane Public Library lands into a magical, mythical and forgotten time was wise when looking at this year's large crowd. "I think it's going to be one of our best years ever. Everybody is so enthusiastic about coming and participating here at the library, and it's very important to us that it is a community, family-friendly event all day long."

Kids and adults alike enjoyed many of the interactive activities that not only brought a fun component but an educational one as well. 

For those that believe libraries are still only about books on shelves, Medieval Day reinforces that it is time to move out of the dark ages and recognize that libraries offer so much more. "We have exploded this year, Medieval Day aside; we have gone from four years ago having 65 people a day through the doors of the library to the last few months hitting 500 consistently. That tells you a number of things; first people have really embraced and engaged this library, and second, they are still going into libraries all over the place. So libraries are not dead, they're not in the middle ages, we're in a brand new century of service, and we are so much more than books."

Whether or not the Cochrane Public Library brings back the event in 2020, one thing is for certain, you won't want to miss one of our community's most loved and energetic events.