BUFFALO, N.Y. — There's a little something that will catch your eye if you go sledding at Shoshone Park in Buffalo. You will notice a Little Free Sled Library.
It's a place where you can grab a sled, have a fun day and then take it back just like a regular library.
The Little Free Sled Library leads us to The Tool Library, where it turns out they're more than just work. They're also about play. So how did this idea come about?
"We actually found the idea online," said Darren Cotton, The Tool Library's board president. "There was a group in Minnesota, obviously very comparable climate to here in Buffalo that was. Doing something really similar and I thought you know what a great idea, not only to kind of get people active and out in the winter, but to sort of bring our mission into the great outdoors. Really, just the simple idea of sharing and how we can make community spaces easier to share and sort of easier to spread that message."
The Little Sled Library is free to use and gives people the opportunity to enjoy winter, and the activities that come with it, without having to worry about the cost.
"We want everyone to be able to enjoy all four season in Buffalo and sharing is a really great way to do that," Cotton said.
So what is The Tool Library?
It's very similar to a regular library, where instead of you borrowing books, you are borrowing tools. So for as little as $20 a year, someone can join as a member and then borrow up to five tools.
"So pretty much everything you see here, anything ranging from basic hand tools all the way up to lawn mowers, weed whackers, pressure washers, wheelbarrows, ladders, you name it," Cotton said. "It's a really great opportunity to remove cost as a barrier."
It's a simple thing, but a very big idea at the same time.
If you'd like to visit The Tool Library, it is located at 5 W Northrup Place in Buffalo.
To borrow a sled from The Little Free Sled Library, you can check it out yourselves at crossroads of the North Buffalo Rail Trail and Shoshone Park.