As a high school student life is pretty cheap. I cling to my parents for food, gas, and clothes. So, when it comes to dates taking someone out to eat and going to a movie sounds nice, but can get expensive. What if there was an alternative to the dinner movie date? Well in a bigger city there wouldn’t be too much trouble finding one, but in Fort Wayne, the task is a little more difficult.

In the year 1995, my parents, Sandy and Jeff, moved across the state of Indiana from Evansville to Fort Wayne. They moved into a subdivision still under construction as the years began to pass the area begun to as well.  Then the year 1999 rolled along and I was born. I have lived in Fort Wayne my whole life same area same subdivision same street same house for my whole life, and there is one thing I hear more often than not. There is nothing to do in Fort Wayne, I beg to differ.

Now let me plead my case. If you say there is nothing to do in Fort Wayne you have already given up.The things that there is to do may not be too mainstream, but they are fun and as a high schooler on a budget, they are also relatively cheap to do.

Two words, Genealogy Department. This is the section in the library holds all the records that can be collected about Allen county, the people that live there, and much more. Debbie Stevens an acquisitions specialist for the Allen County public library said

“Mostly we see middle-aged men or women that are retired and they have the time to come during the day to do their research,” Ms. Stevens said. 

So why would you as a high schooler wanna go to a place where the median age is three times yours. Well, there is a lot to do here from all the yearbooks from schools in Allen County as well as all the colleges in Indiana, family records dating back all the way to the 1800s, and newspapers that go back all the way to the first publication date.

Here you are able to look at what your parents look like in high school and college give the fact that they went to school in Allen County or college in Indiana. Then if you are feeling extra brave you are able to look at pictures of yourself from when you were in middle school or previous years in high school.

There is as well the microfilm machines. Since paper degrades over time this is where they keep all of their newspapers from the first publication of the New York Times in 1835 to the comic stripes you read in the Journal Gazette while eating your cereal last week.

The people who work there also take pride in their job when asked about her favorite part of her job Ms. Stevens cannot decide what is her favorite part of working at the library. 

“My favorite part about working in Acquisitions is that I get to see the new books when they come in before anyone else does! When I work with patrons, my favorite things is helping them find information and then seeing their faces when they discover something new about their family they didn’t know before.”

So when you go you know to expect A+ service, and the main kicker to it all is it is completely free so all you have to do is find a way to get there and you have the next few hours covered looking at the headlines on your birthday and seeing how big your parents hair was in high school.

Whoever thinks there is nothing to do in Fort Wayne come at me, I have ideas for days.