Feeling Puzzled? All Day Puzzling!

Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. Library is hosting Feeling Puzzled? All Day Puzzling! on Thursday, October 22, from 10 AM to 5 PM. It's a communal puzzle-solving session that runs all day, and New York Times crosswords are on hand for anyone who wants them. It's a drop-in thing, so you can swing by for an hour or settle in for the whole stretch.

The session is open to adults, young adults, school-age children, and seniors, so it's as much for a family outing as it is for a solo morning. If you've got a puzzle you've been chipping away at, you can bring it along and work on it alongside other people.

The library itself has a bit of history to it. It's been a South Philadelphia institution since 1914, when it opened on land given by the estate of Stephen Girard—a French immigrant who was estimated to be the richest man in America when he died. The building was one of 25 built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. It was known as the Passyunk Branch until 2004, when it was renamed in honor of Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr., a resident whose community service stretched from the 1930s until his death in 1970 and who chaired the 26th Ward.

Inside, the branch still houses several murals by Calvin Jones, including one in the meeting room that shows Ben Franklin, Stephen Girard, and Andrew Carnegie alongside young patrons. The library also runs a To-Go & Grow Free Seed Library and Propagation Station that stays open year round. You'll find the library at 1935 West Shunk Street, at 20th and Shunk Streets in Philadelphia, and the puzzling runs from 10 AM to 5 PM.