| | Published February 26th, 2014
| Name that Gum!
| | By Cathy Tyson |  | | Gum Tasters share a laugh as they guess flavors and brands during a recent contest at the Lafayette Library Teen Center. Photo Cathy Tyson |
Creative library assistant in charge of teen services, Patrick Brogan, had a unique idea for a gum guessing contest recently. While back in the day food, drink and especially gum was frowned upon in libraries, the Lafayette Library and Learning Center paved the way for respectful noshing. Brogan had a variety of gum flavors and brands separated into numbered baggies; each participating teenager got to chew and savor, however briefly, a piece of gum from each unidentified bag. Whoever guessed the most correct number of flavors and their corresponding brands would win a 380 count giant tub of Double Bubble gum. In the case of a tie, there would be a bubble blowing contest as a tie-breaker.
The lure of complimentary bubble gum, along with bragging rights proved irresistible. Stride, Orbit, Wrigley's, Juicy Fruit - if only the students could focus so intently on their respective homework, as analyzing gum. A record and slightly rowdy crowd showed up in the Lafayette Library's Teen Center to try their luck. After much chewing, and discarding used gum in Dixie cups, without so much as a palette cleansing drink of water in between rounds, many of the contestants tied. So, as pressure mounted, it all came down to a bubble blowing contest to determine the winner. Young 13-year-old gum connoisseur Anya Weinstein took home the tub of Double Bubble. "She was the only one whose bubble was not only biggest, but also did not pop," said Brogan.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA