Rory Turner and Alyssa Turnbull give two thumbs up to this year’s Summer Reading Program. The two program coordinators are looking forward to diving into this year’s Imagine theme. – Morinville News Staff Photo
By Morinville News Staff
Morinville – A summer of reading fun is just around the corner for local children aged 3 to 12. The Morinville Community Library’s Summer Reading Program is set to run July 16 to Aug. 24, offering several weeks of reading, crafts and entertainment. As in past years, the goal of the program is to keep children reading throughout the summer while giving them an opportunity to have some fun in the process.
Returning to coordinate the program for his third year is Rory Turner. “I’m always excited about the Summer Reading Program, even more excited that we are in our new building,” Turner said, adding each of his three years with the program have been in different accommodations due to the renovations. “It’s like a new program each year.” Sharing the coordinating duties with Turner this year is Alyssa Turnbull, a young woman with a love of reading of her own. “[We] should encourage the younger generation to get into reading,” she said. “It is kind of an important trait to have. It’s just exciting to work with kids and have a lot of fun and do crafts.”
The two coordinators will work under the umbrella theme set by TD Bank, who organizes the cross-country program each year. This year’s theme is Imagine. “I really like the theme this year,” Turner said. “With Imagine you can do anything you can imagine, basically. It doesn’t limit you at all as far as literature selection or crafts. It has been my favourite theme. Jungle was fun and Splash was fun, but this year because it is so inclusive of everything, I think there’s no way people can be disappointed.”
Turnbull said she has been researching new and different crafts as well as what she considers to be some cool books for young people to check out this summer. “I’m hoping to open up some new books that people didn’t really read when they were kids, and just kind of incorporate some different aspects of reading,” she said of some of her plans for the program.
The program, sponsored this year by a donation from the Morinville Rotary Club, runs Mondays to Fridays with drop in and set activity sessions throughout the week. Craft sessions take place Tuesdays and Wednesdays. “On those days we have the different groups of kids come in and do their craft, maybe do a bit of story time or play some games,” Turner said. “Throughout the rest of the week we have our regular drop in times when the kids can come, play the board games, pick out their books, read their books, and come back to win prizes.” Those prizes are achieved by reading books. The more books the children read – the bigger and better the prizes.
In addition to the regular programming, there will be two special entertainment events at the Morinville Community Library. Ernestine Hatpin and the Prairie Dogs, a musical duo, will perform July 25 at 2 p.m. The second performance takes place Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. when magician Brian Lehr returns for another Summer Reading Program performance.
For more information on enrolling your child in the Summer Reading Program, contact the Morinville Community Library at 780-939-3292.
