In observance of National Cookbook Month, the Arcadia Public Library (APL) is hosting its second annual Boba Crawl from Oct. 1 to 31. With seven different beverage locations on the map and discounts or specialty items offered at each one, excitement awaits in the blank map and a Boba Crawl pin and all their promising potential.

The Arcadia Eats Boba Crawl is an event that runs throughout the entire month of October. The library partners with multiple local boba shops to provide discounts to participants when they present a map–one that is distributed at the Adult and Teen Services desk–upon ordering. But discounts aren’t the only thing you can get, and there is a competitive element to the event: the first 10 people to get their maps stamped at each of the boba locations will be awarded a limited edition glass and a certificate on the Boba Wall Hall of Fame, designating them as a survivor of the 2023 Boba Crawl.

Librarian Yvonne N. shared her experience helping to set up for the widely anticipated event.

“It just takes a lot of coordinating and communication between me and the shops,” N. said. N. explained that she visited each shop and introduced herself, followed up with emails, and created the map. She shared that the purpose of creating and distributing a physical map allowed participants a more interactive experience in the library.

“The reason we did paper maps that must be picked up at the library to present at the boba stores is we always want to get people to come to the library,” said N.

The Teen Graphic Design Club, a group that was established this past summer at the APL, also worked to bring the Boba Crawl to life; through a digital art application known as Procreate, the club was responsible for designing the button pin for the event.

Librarian Claudia Arroyo shared her ambitions for the Teen Graphic Design Club.

“I want to [design the buttons and the stickers] for Boba Crawl next year… I think that would be super cool,” said Arroyo.

Arroyo looked back on the event in the year past, having a positive opinion of her organizing experience.

“I [got] to go visit a lot of boba shops and ask them to work on this really cool project,” shared Arroyo. “I think that was my favorite part.”

N., Arroyo, and the Teen Graphic Design Club have worked diligently to bring you the 2023 Boba Crawl. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out for yourself, you can do so in the APL’s Boba Crawl in the upcoming year!