With the stroke from a marker or placement of a bead, residents are able to bond inside the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library.

Wednesday’s activity was a sight to behold for Maryann Owen. Owen and others were busy inside the library’s community room participating in another installment of the adult color group offered by the facility, titled the “Color Connection,” in a way to promote togetherness in the area.

“This started off as just an adult color group early on,” said Owen, who serves as the library’s adult services coordinator. “It started off with 11 people and it was mainly made up of widows, people with health problems and others just looking to make connections.

“Once people had enough, they moved on and there for a couple of months, we didn’t have classes,” she continued. “With the interest picking back up, we were able to create a new group called the ‘Color Connection’ and this allows people to come together once again to have a fun time together.”

During Wednesday’s exercise, participants were able to work on crafts that involved CDs.

But while the artistic aspect was able to shine, Kathy Campbell, with Northeast Community Credit Union, added the Color Connection is about more than just projects.

“We want to build a cohesive community,” she said. “This is a just for people that don’t really have the opportunity to do other things. There’s no artistic ability required.”

Owen credited Campbell, who was also on site Wednesday for the class, for her assistance with the project. Northeast Community Credit Union has been active with supporting the library over the years. On Wednesday, Campbell also presented a check to Library Director Renita Barksdale for $2,300 to cover the cost of revamping an art wall near the teenage section of the library to give the area youth more involvement at the facility.

But much like the ECCPL and NECCU partnership, the Color Connection is all about forming the connections to help the community. Linda Skelton, a four-month member of the group, stated she was able to learn about the resources available at the Carter County Health Department thanks in part to the color group.

“Aside from making friends, we’re gaining knowledge about services in the community,” said Skelton. “It has been a real blessing to me. I found out I was eligible for a lot of things just by attending here. It really has been a great learning experience.”

Owen went on to add that a handful of ideas for her adult services calendar often stem from discussions from the art group.

Individuals wanting to learn more about the group or upcoming events can contact the library at (423) 547-6360.