MILLS RIVER — This jigsaw puzzle is huge!
And so is the enthusiasm of the congregation of Mills River Presbyterian Church and other community members taking part in an around-the-clock marathon to construct a colorful work of art that, when completed, will measure 14.5 feet long by 5 feet tall.
The church and community members began working 24/7 on Friday night to complete the 24,000-piece puzzle by sometime today, hopefully earning them a place in the puzzle's Hall of Fame for being the first organization to finish the project in North Carolina — and the first church to complete the project anywhere in the world.
“We're tackling this as a fun way to beat the winter blahs,” said Larry Sunday, who, with his wife, Deta, donated the $300 to buy the puzzle, titled “Life: The Great Challenge.” “We're working in teams around the clock for four days, and everyone in the community is invited to come and join us.”
On Saturday afternoon, with mountains of home-baked cookies and snacks piled on countertops and rock ‘n' roll music blasting through the speakers in the church fellowship hall, some 35 people of all ages were gathered at four long tables, carefully scrutinizing the thousands of tiny pieces and painstakingly putting together dozens of small portions at a time.
As puzzlers' eyes grew weary and they left to pursue other Saturday activities, others came in the door to take their places with a fresh view of the shapes that will ultimately form a massive mural filled with animals, sailboats, undersea creatures, hot air balloons and the solar system.
Church pastor Randall Boggs said the puzzle adventure is just the latest in a series of activities the church has invited the community to take part in, such as chocolate bingo nights, pet blessings and an upcoming talent show. The puzzling weekend also fits in with the church's theme for 2010: “Putting the Pieces Together at Mills River Presbyterian Church.”
“We're interested in how people can find their places here, how they can fit their lives into the community, and how our church can fit into the community in a constructive way,” Boggs said.
Church member Kathy Ziprik said about 25 percent of the 100 or more people who had come through the doors by Saturday afternoon were not church members.
“And that's part of our hope, that people will come out and just have some fun,” Ziprik said. “There have been so many stresses and challenges for people, with the economy, and being snowed in for the past several weeks. This is a fun, relaxing thing to do, and a way to socialize and meet new people.”
Lois Sneed, sporting one of the purple and red “When I am old, I shall wear purple…” sweatshirts, admitted that her puzzling skills ran more along the line of “the wooden kind with six pieces.” But she had a big smile on her face as she continued searching for connections within the hundreds of blue shapes that will comprise the sea.
“It's tedious work,” Maxine Jarman said cheerfully as she searched for a mate to a piece with an unusual color. “I can't put the pieces together, but I can sort them,” she said. “I've found this color, now I need to find a match.”
Deta Sunday and other church members plan to keep the food coming day and night — breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks — as the weekend continues, and Larry Sunday will continue playing DJ, offering up tunes ranging from Susan Boyle's new album to the soundtrack from “Saturday Night Fever.”
“You don't want the music too slow late at night,” he said with a grin.
[url=http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100111/NEWS01/301110019]Source
