BUCHANAN — Many can remember the simple joy of coloring as a child, carefully tracing the lines of an image, letting loose with color and having their imaginations run wild.

Though those days are long gone for many adults, The Buchanan District Library is offering a way to bring them back.

The library will be hosting an adult coloring session at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan 10 for adults of all ages. Coloring supplies, including coloring pages, pencils and fine tipped pens will be provided by the library. Hot drinks will also be made available.

Though the library hosted adult coloring sessions monthly in 2017, Wednesday’s session will be the first of 2018, making it the perfect time for those who have not attended one yet to try it out, said Pamela Salo, assistant director of the Buchanan Library.

“It’s something people really seem to enjoy, and we are happy to continue to provide it,” Salo said of the coloring sessions.

Salo said people have responded well to the classes, saying that people even bring their friends from far outside Buchanan to attend. Salo believes that setting aside a time and place for adults to color is something unique for the area, which is why the program has been successful.

She also added that many people have begun to see the sessions as a social hour, where people of all ages, from young adults to senior citizens, can interact and have a good time together.

“A lot of times, when people [come to the coloring sessions], they are hesitant, because they don’t even know if they want to color again,” Salo said. “But then they see our binder with all kinds of coloring pages and they have a cup of coffee and talk to others. People seem to enjoy themselves.”

The idea to start the adult coloring sessions came to Salo, after coloring was part of a webinar she was taking more than a year ago. Though she was skeptical at first, Salo found the exercise to be relaxing and enjoyed it so much that she wanted to bring it to the people of Buchanan.

“I mean, I used to like coloring, and I had heard a lot about how coloring can be relaxing,” Salo said. “But when I looked at some of those pages, with how complex they are, I thought, ‘how in the world can this be relaxing?’ But then I printed off a few [pages], sat down and did them. It’s totally different from back when you were a kid just coloring little coloring pages. It’s art.”

If someone is unable to attend the color session, Salo said not to worry, as people can come into the library at any time and take pages from the coloring pages binder to use.   

Ultimately, Salo said that coloring sessions are an extension of what the library does with all of its programs by providing a space for the people of Buchanan to come and enjoy themselves, and that the coloring sessions in particular allow people to sit and relax for an hour or two.

“A lot of people [who attend the coloring sessions] work a lot and they say, ‘this is my therapy time. I need this,’” Salo said. “It just gives them something to focus on and not have to multitask.”

If you go:

What: Adult coloring

When: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10

Where: Buchanan District Library, 128 E. Front St., Buchanan

Cost: Free. Hot drinks will also be available.