Get ready for a summer of fun; the Summer Reading Program has officially begun! Warren County Public Library’s activities are now in full swing, and we look forward to seeing more of YOU as our 10-week program progresses. We love this time of activity, outreach, and heightened excitement. Every year during June and July, library staff welcomes in more patrons and checks out more books and materials than during any other month of the year!
Per WCPL’s Executive Director Courtney Stevens, “One-third of the visitors the library sees are those we interact with through the Summer Reading Program. As the #1 quality of life provider in Warren County, we get to have so many interactions with people who need us!”
Youth Services Manager Alexis Erskine adds, “We focus on providing top-notch quality-of-life events for all ages! We also want to help reduce the academic ‘summer slide,’ since learning is a 12-month process. Schools get students for ten months of the year, and we get them the other two!”
While we have loads of exciting programs planned for preschoolers and school-aged kids, teens and adults will find plenty to keep them engaged throughout the summer, as well. Plus, our library-wide activity incentive program is open to everyone! It’s a fantastic way to encourage reading and participation in library events, and you can even earn prizes for joining in the fun! Kids can use a Reading Trail Map to track their progress, while adults and teens can use a bookmark log. Paper copies can be picked up at any library location or downloaded from our website. Milestones can also be logged online, if you want to skip keeping up with paper altogether!
All program details are available online on our Summer Reading page (warrenpl.org/summer). If you prefer print, you can either download PDFs of the schedule on that page to print at home or pick up a full-color summer activity brochure at any library location. Some programs have space limitations and registration requirements, so we encourage you to decide which events you plan to attend, then reserve your spot through the library’s calendar of events (warrenpl.org/events). For easy access, you can also access all this information through the WCPL app available through the app store!
Now here’s where we need the attention of all our experienced summer program participants. This year, the kick-off event on Thursday, June 5, will be at a new location! Between 9:30am and 12:30pm that day, we will all gather for the “Camping Adventure Party” kick-off at EPHRAM WHITE PARK (885 Mt. Olivet Road), the perfect location for the summer’s outdoor-themed programming! The celebration will include the following:
•Winnie the Pooh & Tigger meet & greet
•Lifesize dinosaur greet & greet
•An animal petting zoo
•A large truck “petting zoo”
•Foam party
•Inflatables
•Sensory room
•Local vendors
•Science Guy shows at 10am and 11am
Here are several June program highlights for families:
•Mondays: Outdoor storytimes at 9am at Lost River Cave’s Playscape (June only)
•Tuesdays: Fountain Square Storytimes at 12pm followed by free family movies at 12:30pm at the Capitol (all summer)
•Saturdays: Summer Reading Farmers Markets at SOKY Center (formerly SoKY Marketplace) featuring food trucks, produce & craft vendors, and free activities for kids (all summer)
•Monday, June 30, at 6pm Jim Gill Live In Concert: Sing, clap, and dance along during this visit by award-winning musician and author.
Adults will also enjoy these presentations in June:
•Monday, June 9, at 6pm at the Capitol: WCPL’s executive director Court Stevens will discuss her debut adult novel with David Arnold, and 200 free copies of Tell Me Something Good will be given away!
•Monday, June 16, at 6pm at the Capitol: At “Beyond the Bachelorette,” you will enjoy a presentation by Michelle Young, an educator, television personality, speaker, activist, and nonprofit founder, whose foundation supports a “Homework and Hoops” afterschool program.
•Friday, June 20 at 7pm at the Capitol: Soak in a night of Celtic music and poetry as we celebrate the longest day of the year featuring the musical talents of Rebecca Baumbach, Skip Cleavinger, Pat Broaders, and John Skelton.
•Sunday, June 22, at 3pm at Bob Kirby Branch: Meet New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling author Kristina McMorris, who has penned two novellas and eight historic fiction novels, including Sold on A Monday and her newest The Girls of Good Fortune.
We look forward to seeing you this summer!
-by Ashley Fowlkes
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