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By Doan Nguyen
The free public storytelling time set up by North Logan Library director and ventriloquist Sue Randleman has been a growing success. The enforced fire code allows 110 people in North Logan Library's meeting room where story time is held, but the turnout of show-goers is still double to triple the size per show. Past demands have made the library decide to start issuing its show tickets early at the front desk at 9:30 a.m. each Thursday and Friday. Problems made the City Library decide to change the issuing of its tickets starting at 10:30 instead of 9:30. "Quacker Time!" is designed for preschoolers and kindergarteners. Randleman said they come and sing songs, listen to stories being read to them and be entertained by Quackers. Randleman said many parents getting tickets for their children would grab tickets for their neighbors and friends, many who do not later on show up for the show. "Tickets that would have been used weren't," Randleman said. "The point of issuing the tickets earlier was to keep the numbers down and also to encourage people to use the library before story time. "We pull in people from all edges of the valley," said Randleman who is the puppeteer of the popular yellow duck character named Quackers. Seating preference is first given to residents with a library card from Hyde Park and North Logan on Thursdays until the room reaches capacity. Everyone is invited on Fridays no matter where they are from, also with limited capacity. To reach more of the public Randleman said she is renting out Smithfield Main Theatre and Event Center on March 13 and 27. Each day Quackers will have three shows. Show times are 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Admission will be $1 per person. "Quacker Time!" is well known. "Everywhere we've started we have outgrown the area," Randleman said. The first place the show started was the council chambers at the city offices. "We crammed everyone in there," she said. Other places have been the bicentennial building at Elk Ridge Park and then the new library. During the time of Halloween the library had about 400 people in the meeting room, a count way beyond safety regulations. "The library board of trustees noticed we were having too many children there," Randleman said. Although it was against the rules Randleman said she loves big crowds. "It makes me excited to do my shows, it gives me more oomph. "When story pit was being built (in the library) I said to the architect, you've got to be kidding me this is smaller than the first place we did story time!" Randleman said the show moved to the library's meeting room. "We've outgrown it as well," she said. Randleman will be working for the North Logan Library for seven years in June. "Quackers came with me on my interview as a matter of fact," she said. The key to developing literacy is to get children like books and feeling comfortable with them said Randleman. " If I can bring joy into their life, that's my goal." The Herald Journal named Randleman runner-up for Citizen of the Valley because of her achievement and efforts in developing literacy in the community in January. "I saw the need for children to be read to before school age, it ensures them to be good readers,"she said. "I use my tongue to shape the words," said Randleman trying to explain how she does ventriloquism without moving her lips. Randleman started learning how to ventriloquist as a young child, she said she remembered getting her first Jerry Mahoni ventriloquist doll as a Christmas gift when she was 11 or 12. She started working for libraries as a teenager back east where she had grownup and volunteered to help with children programs. Her first hand puppet was a brown bear. "He's like 30-something years old," she said, showing her small worn-out puppet. "He (Quackers) will be turning the legal age of 21 years old this year, but we don't tell the kids that, he's still six and a half years old," Randleman said there was actually a former Quackers puppet before the one she uses now. "We couldn't find him, so we recreated him." Randleman found the latest Quackers in 1983 at library convention in Dallas, Texas. Within each "Quacker time!" skit, Zoe, an orange furred character similar to Sesame Street's character occasionally tricks Quackers into being kissed. "I bought her at Toy's R Us," Randleman said. "Parents have told me, you have to bring her every week, because my son has to see her kiss Quackers." Randleman said kids love the idea of Quackers having a girlfriend. Randleman, who is trying to start a personal website featuring Quackers, said she is recreating a new girlfriend character for him that is not affiliated with Sesame Street. "Her name is going to be Cookie. She'll have red hair." The website has been Randleman's goal, she says that the website will feature different activities so children can interact with Quackers, such as telling jokes. DVDs featuring Quackers will also be sold off the website. The website won't be up for a couple of weeks, said Randleman.
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