Five Hundred Easy Pieces

“Go ahead and start,” and they did.

Twelve teams each emptied 500 puzzle pieces onto the table in front of them and so began the Siuslaw Public Library’s first-ever jigsaw puzzle competition. Some teams had clear strategies. Sort the pieces by color. Build the outside edge first. Others divided to conquer – each team member working on a different section, color, or pattern. Some seemed a bit more, well, free-form, working the old-fashioned way by trying a piece here, then there, until they found one that fit.

In hindsight, the finish felt preordained. Stephanie Lauritzen’s tattoo of four interlocked jigsaw puzzle pieces seemed to mark her as a ringer. And her Facebook assembled team of four, (she hadn’t met two of her teammates until that morning) “Jiggy Sawdust,” crushed the competition completing the puzzle in 29 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s about 16 pieces per minute if you’re keeping track.

Second place went to Sarah and Kathy Skelly, the “Super Skellys.”

Librarian Kevin Mittge, who organized the event with his colleague Erin Gordenier, said it was the happiest time at the library in a while. He is hopeful they will repeat the event. For more information about library events, subscribe to their newsletter.

Editor’s note: I am married to the library’s director