By Theresa Knapp

Are you ready for it? Hopedale was channeling its inner Taylor Swift on April 20 as part of “Swiftie Saturday,” a two-hour event of Tay-Tay-themed fun devoted to the worldwide sensation and the fans who love her (“Swifties”). 

Julie Cameron, 7, of Hopedale, creating a “TS” friendship bracelet. Her LOVE shirt was appropriate since Taylor Swift encourages the Swifties to love one another (and not be mean).

There was no need to survive a Ticketmaster fiasco to attend this T-Swift gathering at the Bancroft Memorial Library. The program was orchestrated by library staff member Katie Sheehan - the event was open to everyone, and the crowd went wild for it. 

Sheehan knows the devil’s in the details, and she had them all covered. There was magic in the air, it was like a fairytale - she had transformed much of the library in a way we’ll never forget. 

Lauren Marcob of Hopedale holding Aria Marcob, 2; Lia Marcob, 8; Nicole Lombardi of Milford holding Lyla Lombardi, 2; Taylee Lombardi, 5; Angela Lombardi; Lily Lipresti of Upton, 10; Genevieve Cloutier of Upton, 10. Photo credit: Theresa Knapp

Fans knew they were in trouble when they walked in and saw Taylor’s music videos on the big screen and heard her hits play-play-play from the speakers. They were taken by the view of numerous activity stations, games, a gorgeous photo booth (created by Amy Catalogna of the Friends of the Library) with a near-life-size TS cutout, gift baskets, and much more. 

Sparks were flying as fans played games (like “Bad Blood Bowling” for the exes), went on a scavenger hunt to find clues to solve a puzzle, and enjoyed a library-wide Easter egg hunt – the star is known to drop “Easter eggs” into her songs, offering secret meanings for die-hard fans to discover and interpret. 

“They really nailed the theme,” said Angela Lombardi of Milford who attended the event with her extended family (from Hopedale). While they all enjoyed the “Calm [Down] Coloring Pages” table, Lombardi said, “We couldn’t get tickets to the concert, so this is the next best thing.” She was wearing a punny t-shirt that said, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the bride. It’s me” – a nod to Swift’s hit “Anti-Hero,” and her niece was wearing an Eras Tour sweatshirt. We know those shirts will never go out of style. 

Julie Cameron, 7, of Hopedale was working on a “TS” friendship bracelet like the ones she swapped at a recent Taylor Swift concert. Her mother Rachel explained, “We couldn’t get into the concert at Gillette but we stood outside, so we heard her but we didn’t see her. There were lots of other Swifties there with us, it was a lot of fun!” 

Melanie Small, 5, of Hopedale is one of Taylor’s biggest fans. While she was hanging out working on a diamond art cat – and wearing her pink heart glasses bejeweled with “Swiftie” – her mom Lauren said, “Melanie is a fan of Taylor Swift and we were in the library and learned about the program.” 

Other activities included Three in a Row dice, making bejeweled microphones, bookmarks, keychains, and more. The event is one these fans will never forget, and that’s no lie. 

Editor’s note: If some of this story doesn’t quite make sense, shake it off and ask a Swiftie to decipher