Eight teams came in “pieces” to participate in the Team Puzzle Competition at the Marshalltown Public Library on Saturday.

Librarians Mara Edler and Katie Fink organized the event. Edler said the teams, with a maximum of four members, used identical 300-piece jigsaw puzzles and raced to see who could finish first.

According to Fink, the library purchased 10 puzzles off of Amazon, so they were very pleased with the number of teams.

This was the first time the library has hosted a puzzle competition, and Fink said a lot of other libraries do similar events.

“We thought we would try our hand at it,” she said. “We had a puzzle swap in January that was very popular.”

Edler said many of the teams at the competition were part of the puzzle swap. The interest in puzzles makes the activity relatively popular in Marshalltown, she added. Plus, the library usually has puzzles in the online book sale for Friends of the Library, which have proved to be popular.

“I feel it’s just a popular winter activity,” Fink said. “People are stuck inside when it’s super cold, and it’s something people can do in the winter months.”

While no additional puzzle events are scheduled, Edler said they are happy with the feedback they have received thus far on the competition.

“People have asked if we can do it again next month,” she said, laughing. “People are excited about it. They think it’s a great idea. Puzzle people are very dedicated to their hobby.”

Besides working on puzzles, teams were treated to a hot cocoa bar and popcorn, which was popular with Jose Garcia, III. His parents, Jose Garcia and Eleanore Little Garcia, said he loves to put puzzles together at home, but he was a little distracted by the popcorn. His puzzle enthusiasm is what brought the family to the library to participate, and they were happy with the puzzle they were given to build.

“It’s not too hard, not too easy,” Garcia said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or bradstream@timesrepublican.com.