Ian Willis, 8, throws a bean bag through a sheet at Dr. Seuss Day at the library Saturday.

Sam I Am with his green eggs and ham joined a plethora of other costumed characters to celebrate the 106th birthday of author Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

Dressed in a homemade costume, four-year-old Eli Ranjel carried the colorful meal in the first-ever costume contest held during the South Georgia Regional Library’s 15th annual Dr. Seuss Day Saturday.

“ ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ is his favorite book,” said Eli’s mother, Leah Ranjel, who recreated the entree from Playdoh. “He loves Dr. Seuss and the sing-song rhythm of the stories really keeps his attention.”

Children participating in the contest were asked to wear homemade costumes in honor of Dr. Seuss’ creative spirit.

Kaitlyn Allbritton, age 9, also came as her favorite character — the blue-haired pet from Seuss’s “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.” The homeschooler, who learned about the event when returning library books, wore an extravagant blue hair piece, which she and her mother, Lois, constructed from wire and unwound yarn.

Albritton’s creative costume earned first place in the category for ages 9-12. Matthew Lasseter, age 6, dressed as the Cat in the Hat, placed first for 6- 8-year-olds, and Cedric Brown, also dressed as the Cat in the Hat, placed first for kids ages 5 and younger. Each winner received a free stuffed animal, several Dr. Seuss books and candy.

From noon to 2 p.m., children participated in ten different handtoss games and relaxed while enjoying lemonade and popcorn. Valdosta Rotary Club President Dennis Marks read with emotion and emphasis from several Seuss classics and the Cat in the Hat made a special appearance.

Halley Little, community relations and development coordinator for the library, said Dr. Seuss Day is the most well attended of the SGRL’s top three signature events. Last year’s record-breaking turnout surpassed 500 participants.

“The event is such a great way to get kids excited about reading,” she said. “We travel to area schools to build up energy for the event, which celebrates the life and work of Dr. Seuss. His books are such an important part of the reading experience because they are upbeat and fun, but always carry an underlying message that is valuable at any age.”

Little said budget cuts may have affected this year’s event without support from Friends of the Library, a local service organization that provides SGRL with a flexible source of revenue, supplies and materials, and motivated volunteers.

Like many of Saturday’s anticipated 400-500 guests, Seuss enthusiasts Leah and Eli Ranjel participated in Dr. Seuss Day for the first time, but are frequent patrons of the library. Almost every weekend, they check out books and experience the wonders of reading together.

“People need to support the library because its such a great resource,” she said. “So many people to straight to Amazon to save time, but they need to realize the library is so much more than books.”