Carla Clark | For The Republic
The LEX: The Library of Experience, 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus Ind., Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Celebrate the longest night of the year at The LEX.
The Bartholomew County Public Library will be hosting its annual Lantern Walk from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Registration is requested but not required to make sure there are enough snacks and craft materials available.
To register, visit mybcpl.org. Spaces are limited.
Those attending will get to craft their very own lantern in the main lobby of the LEX and bring them along on the walk. This year, more options such as simpler lanterns will be available to ensure community members, no matter their age or skill level, can make one. Snacks and hot apple cider will also be served at an outside booth, according to children’s programming librarian Kate Grafelman.
“So we’ll be making the lanterns, we’re going to read a poem… it is called ‘The Shortest Day’ and it is by Susan Cooper,” Grafelman said. “And then after that as the sun is going down, we’ll walk through the grounds at the LEX with all of our lanterns.
The walk will take attendees around the LEX’s green space and then back towards the building, which Grafelman described as absolutely beautiful as the sun sets behind the building. Last year was the first year the walk was held at the LEX, as previous years were hosted at the library’s main branch, and Grafelman said they saw a good turnout with all ages attending.
“So I think it was well received and the grounds are just so beautiful,” Grafelman said. “I think people are excited for reasons to get to enjoy the building and the grounds.”
This year will also start slightly earlier than last year’s walk. While last year’s walk started at 4:30 p.m., Grafelman said the sun hadn’t completely set when they went on their walk, so she hopes this 30-minute time difference means the sun will be a little further down for this year’s walk.
“People should come out because… it’s a really good vibe,” Grafelman said. “It’s just people all there to enjoy kind of the same thing together, and especially in the winter season, it’s cozy and it’s peaceful.”
