The Hampton B. Allen Library celebrated the national Batman Day on Saturday.

Aaron Mehaffey, librarian, said that although fewer people attended this year compared to last year, he’s very thankful for the 20 people who did turn out, despite the rescheduling due to Hurricane Florence.

“As usual, the goal of Batman Day is to engage the community by spreading a love for comic books and superhero culture,” he said. “This year, we were thrilled to feature the appearance of Batgirl as well as Batman, thanks to the Signal Headquarters.”

He also showed everyone the new digital lending service Hoopla Digital, which patrons can use to read eBooks and comics; watch TV and movies; and listen to music at home for free with their library card.

Mehaffey used Hoopla Digital to do “Comics Out Loud,” reading “Superman Batman: Public Enemies” by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness together. Participants joined in the reading and acted out the comic.

“This year, we wanted to let people know about our new digital resources like Hoopla Digital, and I enjoy using Hoopla to do the ‘Comics Out Loud’ program because it has that action-view feature when reading comics,” he said. “I hope more people use Hoopla at home, on their computer or phones.”

As usual, they hosted a Batman Trivia Game. The winner, Doug Hassell, won a copy of the Batman Trivia Board Game by Cardinal Industries.

“Batman Day is one of my favorite events we do each year, so next year we’ll be coming up with ways to make it even bigger,” Mehaffey said.

“I’d like to thank the Signal Headquarters for providing Batman and Batgirl at our event, the Carolina Manga Library, and the Friends of the Hampton B. Allen Library for sponsoring their appearance,” Mehaffey said. “I encourage people to donate to both of them, as they help to make events like Batman Day possible.”

Natalie Davis | Anson Record
Batman and Batgirl color masks with children.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_batman-day-1.jpgNatalie Davis | Anson Record
Batman and Batgirl color masks with children.

Natalie Davis | Anson Record
Participants enjoy ‘Comics Out Loud’ at Batman Day.
https://ansonrecord.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_batman-day-2.jpgNatalie Davis | Anson Record
Participants enjoy ‘Comics Out Loud’ at Batman Day.

Natalie Davis

Anson Record