Play Mini-Golf in a Library

But if you lose your ball, you’re on your own.

Play a round of literary links inside the Independence Library. Photo from Facebook

Play a round of literary links inside the Independence Library. Photo from Facebook

The Independence branch of the Free Library is trying out a new way to raise some cash for books: Mini-golf and alcohol. On Friday night the library, located near 7th and Market, is hosting Golf After Dark, part one of the InTEEpendence Invitational. For $25, play literary-themed links indoors while enjoying cocktails and snacks between the stacks. It’s for those 21 and up.

Joe Baker of the Friends of the Independence Branch Library, the organization hosting InTEEpendence along with the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, says similar events have been successful in other cities, but this is Philly’s first swing at setting up tees inside a library. The goal, he says, is both to raise money for the branch and to attract families who might not even know the library is there. Part two of the mini-golf invitational is the Family Run Round on Saturday, with a requested donation of $5 per person.

The links — complete with obstacles, in classic miniature golf fashion — are being sponsored and decorated by different groups, including one from the Asian Arts Initiative. Tickets are available here or at the Independence Library.

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