DOWAGIAC — Dowagiac residents will have a chance later this month to put their heads together as they work to piece together images of melting crayons, stairs that lead to nowhere or a room hidden behind a stack of books.

The Dowagiac District Library will host a puzzle tournament for adults from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29. The event, which will take place on National Puzzle Day, will have adults working in teams of two to four to see which team can complete a 500-piece puzzle the fastest. The winning team will be able to keep a puzzle as a prize. The event is free and open to the public.

“It’s a great way to show off your skills if you have them,” said Library Director Matt Weston. “We have some neat puzzles to work with, so it will be really interesting to see who wins.”

Weston said he came up with the idea to host a puzzle tournament after seeing many adults working on puzzles over the holidays. This spurred him to look into the idea of hosting a puzzle-related event at the library, and in his research, he found that puzzle tournaments have become popular at libraries across the country.

“It’s something people really get into — I got really into it, and I hadn’t even really done a puzzle since I was a kid,” Weston said. “I think [doing a puzzle] is a way to get together with other adults and chat. It’s a really good balance of something that you have to focus on when you are working on a puzzle, having a bit of challenge and being able to chat with others.”

Weston said he is excited to host the puzzle tournament, adding that hosting events like this is part of the library’s mission to be involved in and provide a community space for the city of Dowagiac.

“Adults are looking for things to do and ways to get together with other people,” Weston said. “I feel that people, in general, are already comfortable in the library. This is just a good place to be, since we already have so many in the community already here, to get people interacting and having fun within the community.”

Weston said he would encourage anyone who was interested in competing to take part in the puzzle tournament, adding that they do not need to sign up with a team to compete.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s a great way to get out in some not so great weather and just interact with others and complete a challenge. It’s something you might already be familiar with, but it’s in a different setting.”

To participate in the puzzle tournament, sign up on the Dowagiac District Library’s Facebook event page or email Weston at mweston@dowagiacdl.org.