The Puzzle Exchange by Travis Ferry

The Calvary Baptist Church in Mifflinburg hold a quarterly Puzzle Exchange and it is a “Can’t miss” event for serious puzzlers. Every three months the church hosts an exchange for anyone who enjoys puzzling. It’s a pleasant day for the attendees and a busy day for the volunteers. The free event kicks of at 8:30 in the morning and the volunteers have tables set up and loaded with donated puzzles. Most exchange participants drop off puzzles that they had had previously completed and then make their way to the tables to select “new” puzzles to assemble in the coming months.

the volunteers do a fantastic job of sorting and organizing the puzzles by the number of pieces and some are defined as novelties and grouped together. The space is large enough to accommodate quite a few tables and still leaves space for the staff to restock the inventory while guests maneuver their way from table-to-table making selections. This seemingly simple activity provides an abundance of joy to the puzzling community and is a great cost savings for the participants, which can be especially important to the elderly who make up a large portion of the puzzling community and are often on fixed incomes.

My mom loves the exchange and rarely misses an event. Retired now, she has more time for hobbies and puzzling is one of her favorites. There are many other folks in the community who benefit from the hobby as well. Putting puzzles together is therapeutic and a great way to keep the mind active. it also improved hand-eye coordination. Besides that, it is an enjoyable way to pass idle hours and provides a sense of accomplishment with each completed puzzle.

Often times these simple activities are overlooked and the importance of events like the Puzzle Exchange are not fully appreciated by the community at large; but those who have participated and those who have seen the results do appreciate the work and dedication of the volunteers and organizations that continue to provide these types of services.

So, thanks to the good folks at Calvary Baptist Church, you do a great job, and your efforts are appreciated.

By Travis Ferry