The brightly colored path winding throughout the room drew in kids of all ages at the library’s annual family game night.

“It’s become a tradition,” Library Director Ketta Lubberstedt-Arjes said.

It’s been held the third Friday of February for almost ten years now, she said, ever since the library learned about a national board game night–which is usually held in October.

“We got information about it, but they sent it about two weeks before the date,” Lubberstedt-Arjes said.

-Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Joe Sutter Nalani Buakhan, left, and Susanna Wang, both seventh graders, figure out the best place to put their tiles in a game of giant Connect 4 Friday evening.

The library needed more time than that to prepare–but the staff did like the idea, she said. So on a cold February night, when there aren’t too many school activities going on, the library invites families in for a night of free food and games.

There were options for young and old, from giant Jenga and Connect 4, to Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Munchkins.

None of the latter were life-sized, however.

The giant lollipops and chocolates of Candyland clearly made an impression for Madison Pingel, a 10th grader who was helping out with the program.

“I’ve been working here seven months, so this is my first game night,” she said. “When we had game nights when I was a kid, we didn’t get to do life-sized Candyland. It didn’t exist.”

Sophia Wang, fourth grade, left, works with seventh-graders Nalani Buakhan, Susanna Wang, and Amya Somsack, to figure out the best move to make in a giant Jenga game.

What other games would be fun to see life-sized?

“Monopoly,” said Landon Crawford, seventh grade.

“The Game of Life, with that big spinner,” said Jaidyn Elledge, also seventh grade.

“Maybe Sorry,” said Urban Espinoza, fourth grade.

What would happen in a life-sized game of Sorry?

-Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Joe Sutter Volunteers Shelly Zabel, left, and Gretchen McGlynn serve up walking tacos for the annual game night at Kendall Young Library. McGlynn is a member of the Morning Main Street Kiwanis, which sends volunteer as well as donating funds to library events.

“You would push the person over,” Crawford said.

High school senior Emma Bailey was also helping out — and enjoying the free meal.

“My 4-H group volunteers here every year,” Bailey said. “Then I started working here, so now I work here and I volunteer here.”

Walking tacos were the treat of the evening–but there was also pop donated by Fareway, and cookies donated by Hy-Vee, Lubberstedt-Arjes said.

Funds were also given by the Morning Main Street Kiwanis, she added, some of whom also volunteered serving the treats.