Pac-Man and popped collars — library event keeps ’80s alive

Kids were cool with drawing Garfield the cat, doing a Pac-Man prize hunt and making notebooks and bookmarks from VHS tape covers. But one offering at “In the ’80s” day at the Hughson Library apparently left them flat — literally.

That was the hair-teasing station. Visitor after visitor Tuesday afternoon, the combs and hairspray went untouched, until Hughson Branch Supervisor Heather Bailey demonstrated on herself. She held her long locks out, liberally applied spray, then teased a bit of her hair to heights it hadn’t been in some time.

Bailey was a big fan of big-hair bands of the decade, like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. And the expert shared a tidbit on teasing: It works better on dirty hair. So the next time you’re hitting an ’80s theme party, maybe don’t wash it that day.

The theme of the Stanislaus County Library’s summer reading program this year is “It’s Showtime.” At her library, Bailey decided to offer weekly events on popular culture of decades from the 1920s to the 1990s. As a child of the ’80s, this week had a special place in her heart.

To most preteen kids at the library Tuesday, though, the decade was ancient history. Some could recall nothing they know about the time. Thanks to his dad, 10-year-old Richard Stites knew at least about some of the video games.

“I know one of the ones that was a huge hit was the ‘Super Mario’ series,” he said. “There was also the ‘Legend of Zelda’ series.”

The only song that came to mind was “Eye of the Tiger,” by Survivor. But Dad apparently failed to tell Richard the song is in one of the most ’80s of movies: 1982’s “Rocky III.”

The kids — and probably their parents — were no match for the super-challenging 1980s trivia quiz Bailey printed out. It asked such brain-strainers as “What was the name of Punky Brewster’s dog” and “On ‘Cheers,’ what was the name of the restaurant above the bar?” And, no, we’re not going to tell you. You’ll have to Google it — something you couldn’t do until the late ’90s.

Mom Amy Mowery and 12-year-old son Sean Mangas drove up from Turlock for ’80s day, just as they have for all the decade days this summer. And they showed up in style — Amy with her hair teased and Sean in Vuarnet sunglasses and a polo shirt with the collar popped. He completed the look with a sweater draped over his shoulders.

Amy brought her high school yearbooks, the “We Are the World” album and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” among other mementos. Sean had a Rubik’s Cube puzzle.

Mother and son have been regulars because the library crafts and other activities are fun and free. And educational, Mowery said, like “listening to how music has changed over the decades.” Tuesday, Bailey had a playlist that included such gems as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Irene Cara’s “Fame.”

Next week, who knows? It could be “Come as You Are” by grunge kings Nirvana as ‘90s day brings the series to a close at the Hughson Library. Wednesday’s “All About the ‘’90s” program, from 2 to 4 p.m., will include splash painting on poster paper taped to a wall, Mad Libs trivia and crafts including slap bracelets, POGs and scrunchies.

Noting that libraries have changed so much since the decade being celebrated Tuesday, Bailey said, “Libraries are shifting more to be like community centers,” and fun events that are associated with reading programs “expand people’s knowledge and horizons. It’s another form of education.”

True enough. Richard Stites now at least knows about “Rocky III.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 5:27 PM.