Dancing with the Book Carts!

The first annual MLA book cart drill team competition, as presented by the Paralibrarian Section.

MLA's first ever book cart drill team competition started what will hopefully become an annual tradition. This year's competition, which was organized and produced by the Paralibrarian Section, included four teams fighting for the honor of first place. The four teams were The Plymouth Rockettes (Plymouth Public Library), The “Austin”tations (Sandwich Public Library), The Rockin' Robbins (Robbins Library), and The Cartwheelers (Memorial Hall Library).

Event hosts Alison DaSilva and Keith Michael Fiels welcomed a near capacity crowd in the large ballroom setting. Between performances they explained the general rules and outlines for the judging, as well as introduced the competition judges: Marney Oakes (Director, Reuben Hoar Library, Littleton), John Ison (Demco, sponsor of the event), and Melissa Caissie (Hudson Public Library, this year's Paralibrarian of the Year award recipient). Both hosts provided witty banter to keep the crowd appeased between performances.

After a minor technical glitch the games began.

First to perform were the Plymouth Rockettes. Decked out in black evening dresses, the Rockettes performed a classy routine to the score of “Anything Goes” by Dionne Warwick. The team's elegant moves and precise choreography had the audience cheering loudly throughout.

Next up came The “Austin”tations, in full swinging sixties mod garb, twisting and shimmying in an homage to Mike Myer's Austin Powers character. Their choice of music was “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones, from the Austin Powers film soundtrack. The smooth dance moves and comic relief provided by the team had the audience simultaneously laughing and cheering.

The Rockin' Robbins were next, performing to, you guessed it, “Rockin' Robin” by Bobby Day. They filled their performance with enthusiasm and energy, as well as a mid-performance shift to the theme song from “Doctor Who”, which created quite a surprise amongst the onlookers, leading to what can easily be described as a highly original and creative performance.

Lastly came The Cartwheelers, who performed a Peter Pan themed drill, complete with pirates, Tinkerbell and a crocodile. Their choice of music was a mixture of classical pieces, ranging from Shostakovich to Prokofiev. Their theatrical drama and fantastical cart designed were highlights from their drill.

After much tabulation (and re-tabulation), the judges presented their final scores. The honorable mentions went to The Rockin' Robbins and The “Austin”tations, while the second place prize was awarded to The Plymouth Rockettes. That left The Cartwheelers as the first place winners in a narrow victory. Each team received a trophy for their placing. Certificates were handed out for peripheral awards, as follows: Best Costumes to The “Austin”tations, Best Cart Decorations to The Cartwheelers, and Wow!Factor to the Plymouth Rockettes.