The doctor has regenerated for the 12th time, and it’s time to celebrate.
The Detroit Lakes Library is hosting an event Monday evening for teens and their families to highlight the start of a new season and a new doctor on the popular British show, “Doctor Who.” There’s even a TARDIS to step into - but time travel is not guaranteed.
“People spend lots of money to go to comic conventions just to see the TARDIS, and we have one for free that people can come see and take pictures with,” Youth Librarian Kelsey Wulf said.
“It’s basically the most important character in the show, other than the actual doctor,” she added.
Moorhead resident Dave Pratt built the TARDIS last year for a celebration at the Moorhead Library. He brought it to Detroit Lakes last weekend and spent at least five hours setting it up.
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“Doctor Who” has been on the air since 1963, and each time the doctor dies, he regenerates into a new doctor, taking on a new body and personality. A non-human, the doctor is from the planet Gallifrey and travels through time in his TARDIS, or Time and Relative Dimension in Space.
His TARDIS circuit gets broken during the initial time travel and is stuck in the shape if a London police box.
“Police call boxes were common back then, so it disguised itself well,” Head Librarian Mary Haney said.
“Every time he dies, he regenerates into a new person, so they’ve had a new actor play him every time he regenerates. That’s how it’s gotten to be on the air so long,” Wulf said.
“Leave it to the Brits to come up with something clever like that,” she added with a laugh.
The show is also a graphic novel, and Wulf said the Detroit Lakes Library has a great selection of graphic novels.
“It’s a great way to get kids who aren’t necessarily latching on to other books, starting them out with some graphic novels might be helpful because there are more pictures,” she said.
At the party Monday, there will be Whovian themed foods, Gallifreyan games, a costume contest, crafts and Timey-Wimey trivia.
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“You don’t have to know about “Doctor Who” to come to the party,” Wulf said. “Everyone is invited. The TARDIS is a great thing and we want to share it.”
The party is from 6 to 8 p.m., with trivia at 7. There will also be a screening of a couple “Doctor Who” episodes in the basement meeting room. The activities will be on the main level.
New youth librarian
Before moving to Detroit Lakes, Wulf lived in St. Cloud, doing work for Habitat for Humanity. She grew up in Pequot Lakes.
“I moved to the area because I have quite a few friends here, and I’m a farmer and a librarian, so a lot of my farm family lives around here,” she said.
Besides being a farmer, she was looking for work that she would enjoy and heard about the opening at the Detroit Lakes Library. She said that she thought it would be a long shot when she applied because she didn’t have a library background, but she went for it anyway.
It paid off, and she said that about a week and a half later, she had the job.
As youth librarian, it’s Wulf’s responsibility to plan activities for ages 3 to 19 - from storytime to events like Doctor Who and his TARDIS.
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“I spend most of my days just playing, honestly,” she said with a laugh. “Like the other day, I was blowing tissue paper because I was doing a minute-to-win-it contest with some of the Boys and Girls Club kids to see what paper was light enough to stay in the air when you blew on it.
“And my desk is constantly in a state of disrepair with paint drawings, glitter things or all sorts of things.”
Not only is it fun, it’s educational, too.
“There’s the added benefit of being able to put a book in the hands of a kid for the first time,” she said.
Follow Pippi Mayfield on Twitter at @PippiMayfield .
