The first ever Book Cart Drill Team Competition at the Massachusetts Library Association Conference in Falmouth on May 8th, is when the Plymouth Rockettes won second place and took the Wow! Factor award. The Plymouth Rockettes are a book cart precision team comprised of Plymouth Public Library employees Christine Cook (chair), Stephanie Wood, Karen Giessler, Karen Keane, Linda Fitzgerald, Martha Sulya and Jeannine Thompson. Choreographer for the team was Kate Murphy and cart design was by Carolee Nielsen. The event was photographed and videotaped by Beverly Ness. You can watch the event on www.youtube.com under Plymouth Public Library Drill Team or at www.capecodonline.com under Librarians gone WILD.
The stereotypes that pester librarians – that they wear their hair in a bun, don tennis shoes, wear frugal sweaters and go around “shushing” everyone all the time – were shattered immediately when the ladies from Plymouth came out dressed as Rockettes wearing little black dresses and fishnet stockings reported Aaron Gouveia the staff writer for the Cape Cod Times.

The Plymouth Rockettes have been practicing their routines for a number of weeks in preparation for this upcoming performance. They were judged on their costumes, cart decoration, originality and performance. This included technical ability such as organization, precision, unique moves and artistic impression. The routine lasted four minutes and was done to the song “Anything Goes” by Cole Porter which includes the lyrics Since the Puritans got a shock / when they landed on Plymouth Rock / If today, Any shock they should try to stem / ‘Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock / Plymouth Rock would land on them.

The other competitors at the program were The ‘Austin’ tations from Sandwich Public Library, The Rockin’ Robbins from Arlington Public Library and The Cartwheelers from the Andover Public Library. The Cartwheelers were the first place winners. In the audience for support from Plymouth were Dinah O’Brien, Director of Community Resources; Margaret McGrath, Youth Services Librarian; Jessica Connelly, Manomet Branch Librarian, and Jennifer Jones, Children’s Librarian. Before the Plymouth Rockettes left for Falmouth, they each received a single red rose from Assistant Library Director Jennifer Harris and much encouragement from the staff and library patrons.
The first library book cart drill team was started in 1983 at the Fairfax (Virginia) City Regional Library. Throughout the country, there are many active library book cart drill teams that perform in competitions, festivals and parades. It is a one-of-a-kind event to promote libraries in the community with a festive flair.
The program was sponsored by DEMCO and the winning libraries received gift certificates to purchase library supplies. For the month of May and into June, the second floor display case at the Plymouth Public Library will feature the trophy, information and photos of the Plymouth Rockettes plus the Wow! Award. There will be a follow-up slide show soon available on www.youtube.com featuring the Day of the Competition of the Plymouth Rockettes. There is discussion of going to both the regional and national competitions for library book cart precision drill teams. If you have any questions about the Plymouth Rockettes, please contact Christine Cook, Beverly Ness or Lee Regan at the Plymouth Public Library at 508-830-4250; TTY 508-747-5882 or visit www.plymouthpubliclibrary.org.

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