At Royal Affair, kids’ fun reigns

By Denise Dick

BOARDMAN — Tinkerbell, Pocahontas, Cinderella and a couple of Snow Whites flitted into the township branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County dressed in full princess regalia.

The Royal Affair event gathered preschool through school-age children Wednesday for story time, games and crafts. Young participants dressed the parts, girls as princesses and boys as knights.

“I’m Cinderella,” said Taylor Greenaway, 4.

Dressed in a tiara and pale blue, frilly gown, Taylor clasped a sparkling, star-topped stick in her hand.

“It’s my magic wand,” she explained, waving it to make it light up.

“What do you say when you wave it?” asked her mother, Theresa Greenaway, balancing younger daughter, Kaitlyn, 1, on one hip.

“Bibbidi bobbidi boo,” Taylor said.

Karen Saunders, children’s librarian, read stories, led the children in song and instructed them in games geared around a royal theme.

There was the catapult where children used a plastic spoon to try to hurl a ball into a fabric Cinderella castle. In homage to “The Princess and the Pea,” Saunders stuffed a golf ball into one of two throw pillows and children, after sitting on both, had to pick which one held the foreign object.

Robbie, 4, and Kassie Williamson, 7, came dressed for the occasion. Kassie donned a blue and white Snowflake Princess gown and Robbie dressed in a gold paper crown and a red shirt with colorful piping.

“The little shirt actually came from Russia,” said their mother, Lil Williamson.

She and her husband, Jon, adopted the children from Russia when Robbie was 9 months and Kassie was 3.

“The children love stories,” Lil Williamson said. “It’s nice to have the two of them spend time together when she’s off school.”

Meganne, 7, and Morganne Evans, 3, came with mom, Marianne.

“I’m Ariel,” Meganne said. “She’s my favorite princess.”

Meganne wore a sea blue dress like the mermaid princess in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”

Morganne dressed like Snow White.

The library’s Wednesday storytime is a regular part of the Evans family week.

“I started bringing Meganne when she was of age, 2 or 3,” Marianne Evans said. “Now, she’s in school and I’ve started bringing Morganne.”

Meganne is usually in school on weekday mornings, but spring break from Boardman schools opened some time in her schedule.

“She was excited that she got to come back today,” the girls’ mother said.

Erica Ghossain had her hands full of little royalty with children, Alexa, 7, Brooke, 3, and Adam, 19 months.

Alexa dressed as Pocahontas complete with headband and pigtails and Brooke chose a Tinkerbell outfit.

“They were their Halloween costumes,” Erica Ghossain said. “Alexa saw the Pocahontas movie and ever since, she’s been obsessed with Pocahontas.”

Skylar Hyde, 4, balked at the royal costumes, choosing a Batman T-shirt instead.

“We come every Wednesday,” said his grandfather, Harry Mays. “We come for story time. He gets his books here and all his videos here.” Skylar’s favorite things to read about? “Dinosaurs,” he said.