Library patrons make their way around the Color Our World Art Festival, engaging with the several different activities and crafts.
The end of the academic year signals the start of summer reading for students. Whether they choose an assigned book or a title of their choosing, reading is meant to prevent the “summer slide,” a significant decline in skills that can occur over the season.
To kick off its summer reading program and mark 20 years in its present location, the township library held a Color Our World Art Festival on June 14 that emphasized why summer reading isn’t just for kids. Its reading program is broken down into four categories: early literacy for infants to children up to 4 years old; children from 5 to 11; teens and students in grades six through 12; and adults 18 or over.
All four categories feature prizes that include gift baskets and cards, museum and amusement park passes and eReaders.
“It’s just getting more people aware that you can sign up and all the great prizes that we have at the end of the summer,” said librarian Hope Holroyd.
To further emphasize the reading program’s appeal to library patrons of all ages, the Color Our World Festival featured a variety of activities, crafts and food trucks aimed at different demographics. While rain meant the event didn’t go exactly as planned, the library team was able to make necessary changes so the rain or shine event could continue.
“We were all set up outside, and it was great,” Holroyd noted. “And then it started to rain, so we moved the crafts inside, but left the food trucks and the performances outside. So we pivoted. But it’s great. I mean, seeing all the people do the bracelets and get the Henna art, it’s been a good day.”
Stations in the library were used for creating friendship bracelets and decorating tote bags, and A Flick of the Wrist Splatter Paint mobile unit was set up outside the library entrance. A blackout poetry station was also set up on the library’s main floor. The activity has participants take a used book from a pile, choose an anchor word and others on one page and black out all other text on it.
Guests could also have caricatures of themselves drawn by artist Bruce Blitz.
“The festival day was great,” he observed. “Even though it rained outside, we didn’t care about that, because we had a good time inside. I was drawing cartoon portraits and I had a great time doing it. The people have been sweeter and nicer and the kids were great, so I had a great time today.”
Henna hand art was also available from a professional, and those who wanted temporary tattoos could choose a design from a selection of templates.
Four food trucks were set up in the library’s parking lot. Dan’s Waffles sold a variety of both sweet and savory waffle-based dishes, the Food Bus sold classic festival foods like fries, chicken tenders and burgers, Kona Ice sold shaved ice that attendees could flavor themselves. Also on hand was the township’s Mechanical Brewery.
“We’ve had a few people that were very engaging,” reported its brewer, Rick Vickers, “and it’s been a nice event, talking to people … We like the event and would be happy to do something like this again. Because we like to interact with the community in this way.”
Music was available throughout the festival at the back of the library building. Live performances included April Mae and the June Bugs, James Schneider, Mister Boom Boom Play Patrol Company and DJ Hunt.
