Tournament at public library hopes to smash budget cuts

February 18, I will be holding a tournament for the popular video game, Super Smash Bros. for WiiU, tentatively beginning at 12:00 p.m. I have always wanted to hold a tournament at some point, but it has always been difficult to find a proper venue. However, with some negotiating with Mr. Darren DeArment, librarian, I was able to start organizing a charity event to benefit the public library.

The event itself will consist of a single tournament, focusing on casual play. This allows for members of the community to get involved without feeling intimidated by the more competitive players. The winner shall receive a $20 gift card for GameStop, courtesy of GameStop. We ask that anyone who wishes to participate make a $10 donation, and all proceeds will go straight to the library.

For those interested, there will be a couple of set-ups all running the game, including one on a projector. We will be providing some controllers, but for anyone who can bring their own, we greatly appreciate it. There will also be some drinks provided, and there are several restaurants downtown that will be open at the time of and after the tournament. The tournament will be held in the basement of the library, and the elevator will be open to anyone interested in attending.

The library has always been important to me, and I have recently been discouraged by the budget cuts the library has faced. After a few months of discussion, the members of the library and I have decided the best thing we can do to help the library is to plan an event to raise some money for the library, as we do not wish to see it fail. That is why we encourage all to try to attend, or at least help out with raising funds for what has stood as a staple in downtown Pottsville for years.