DAPHNE, Ala. — Young children and the young at heart immersed themselves in the Daphne Public Library’s “Once Upon a Time” event on Saturday. The library and civic center were transformed into a land of make-believe by library employees and volunteers in an effort to get more people to the library to see everything it offers, Fanny Barnett, children’s librarian said.

Sheila Alberstadt, a children’s author from Daphne who wrote “Maggie McNair Has Spiders in her Hair,” signed books along with Ilene Baskette, one of the authors of “The Boat House Buddies” children’s books series that helped children cope with the Gulf Coast oil spill. 

The event included many people dressed as fairytale characters. Baldwin County’s Junior Miss Kathryn Haywood dressed as Cleopatra and library employees dressed as Snow White and the Queen of Hearts; multiple clowns were present as well. Arts and crafts included coloring sheets and decorating a princess crown. Games included “the queen’s bean bag toss” and a cakewalk.

Children who attended the event got free hot dogs, snow cones, temporary tattoos, face paintings and balloon animals. Children played in inflatable jumpers, got an up-close look at a Daphne fire truck and saw animals regularly housed at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo and Five Rivers Delta Resource Center including snakes, turtles and opossums.

Eleven-year-old Amelia Nolan said she enjoyed the event.

“I got a hippopotamus tattoo on my hand, and I got a flower painted on my arm,” she said. “I liked the animals the zoo brought and I got to touch one of the snakes. My favorite part of the event was the puppies for adoption, though.”