Secrets of the Downtown Yakima Library That You Never Knew About

Taking advantage of a day with no shopping, which to me means a day of saving my money, I took my daughter Willow on a field trip to the downtown Yakima public library. The Central Yakima Library might seem unassuming, old, and quiet on the outside, but this building houses secrets I beg you to uncover for yourself.

See how many of these "secrets" you knew about (I think #2 is a shocker).

#9: The Staircases

Heather, a librarian friend of mine, told me that there are exactly 17 steps on each of the downtown library's staircases except for one in the Adult Fiction Room at the back (which has 21 steps). I wonder what the meaning behind the number "17" has. Only the original architects would be able to tell us that secret!

#8: You Can Rent Board Games and More

The library has several kits and board games that you can rent. Willow just rented a solar system kit that she can put together, admire, and then take down and return to the library, and it's all for FREE.

#7: The Teens Area

Only teens are allowed to sit down at the tables and use the computers in the Teens section. The library takes great care to ensure that teens have a safe space they can mix, mingle, study, and read all of their own. The secret is that there's a DVD section in there, and it's just for teens!

# 6 Free Movie Streaming App

Have you heard of the Kanopy app? It lets you watch movies for FREE!

#5: Free Audio Books and Online Versions Available to "Borrow"

The Libby app has been around for a while, but a lot of people tend to forget that they can rent books and audiobooks this way. Another tip: you can "borrow" magazines in the Libby app, too, like People Magazine.

#4: Free Classes

There are some cool upcoming classes and events you can find at the downtown library and other locations of Yakima Valley Libraries. I am taking a free quilting class starting next week! They also have S.T.E.A.M., languages, and art classes happening soon, too.

#3: The Kids Area

There are hidden stickers that kids can find when they take one of the Scavenger Hunt sheets. The goal is to have the children walk around and locate each of the stickers. This week, they had hidden stickers from the very popular children's book series, Captain Underpants. My daughter was able to find all of them, and she got a prize for filling out the sheet.

#2: The Basement

There is a hidden bomb shelter in the basement of the downtown library in Yakima. Heather revealed that there are even tubs of "potable water" that have been there since the bomb shelter was built. (Would you dare to drink that vintage water?)

#1: The final secret to reveal is that there are no more late fees on library books!

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