Here comes Peter Cottontail

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail - and he's going to stop at Howe Community Library

If you have a child from infant to four years old, bring them by the library Friday, April 12, from 10 to 11, for a visit with the Easter Bunny! Please plan to stay with your child while they enjoy playtime, story time, and a visit and photo op with the big bunny

Have you been enjoying the madness?

March is the month of spring, St Patrick’s Day, and yes, college basketball That’s right folks, March Madness has captivated the nation for the last few weeks, and is now nearly over, with the Final Four set to take place this monetary benefit that would be bestowed upon the winner, the idea of bragging rights within the family was all the more enticing Serving as plenty of motivation to project winners and losers better than anyone else in my family Despite my best efforts, I failed rather miserably My much younger sister somehow picked more accurately than all of us, simply by choosing the teams with, in her words, the “best mascot ” Talk about poetic irony weekend

The term March Madness references, for those who don’t know, the college basketball competition that determines which team wins the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament Evidently, this contest has not always been a dominant cultural phenomenon The University of Oregon owns the distinction of having won the very first NCAA tournament by beating The Ohio State University in 1939 Back then, only eight teams were featured in the competition This March, more than sixty teams will compete for the title, giving Americans all across the country the opportunity to root for their team of choice

Those lucky enough to attend colleges with perennial basketball powerhouses (such as Duke, UNC, Villanova, and UCONN, just to name a few) are continually ecstatic at the prospect of another March Madness tournament, watching the outcome of the contest rather intently For the rest of us, someone cleverly devised a plan to ensure no one felt left out from all of the excitement. Enter the famous bracket

Something about predicting the outcome of dozens of basketball games gets much of the country seemingly irrationally excited How does one go about filling out a bracket, you ask? One could attempt to make an educated guess by analyzing team records, seeding charts, and player rosters Some take the exercise rather seriously – millions of Americans place bets regarding these games, with billions of dollars wagered each year, most of it illegally

Yet gambling for money is not the only way to participate Several years ago, my brother organized a family bracket contest in order to find out which one of us among the five could most accurately predict the outcome of the games (sans the money) He created rules surrounding the process, and filling out the bracket soon became a yearly tradition

The first year, I eagerly compared statistics, examining team records and rankings Despite the lack of

Over the last few years, this tradition has fallen a bit by the wayside, due to scheduling constraints (and perhaps a fear that the youngest among us would once again trounce us in a game of random chance) As is typical of the human experience, many of our predictions at the start of the NCAA tournament prove to be completely inaccurate by the time the last shot is taken and the final game is played Although, there can be great excitement when a team defies the odds, despite our lack of ability to project such an outcome

Consider the power inherent in the Cinderella stories, when the least likely team ends up progressing much farther in the tournament than previously expected Americans are known for rooting for the underdog, reveling in the success of any team once determined to be unable to achieve victory For instance, the year George Mason University’s basketball team went all the way to the Final Four astonished the nation, while having the added effect of causing nearly every succeeding Mason student (myself included) to believe such a feat could be replicated during their four years of attendance (a goal that has proven, up until this point, rather elusive). Regardless, countless other examples can be cited of teams overcoming great odds to advance in the NCAA tournament A concept with a seemingly broader application After all, aren’t some of the greatest joys in life those that arrive unexpectedly?

So, to those upset about the current state of their brackets, take time to celebrate the unexpected Letting the teams that came out of nowhere, sinking enough buzzer beating shots to turn the tide, have their day in the sun After all, failure in this regard was inevitable Even all the statistics, data and information in the world would not be enough to accurately project the winner Luck plays a bit of a role, too

Perhaps my sister had it right all along

Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance writer To read more of his work, visit wwwholdingontohopetodaycom