Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Survived!

Our summer reading program officially ended August 18. The final program was August 20. We still had numerous check-ins last week but this week has been extremely quiet.

We had our most successful Kick-off party ever June 25. Though there were downpours earlier, it turned out to be a great night for a party. For the first time we had a DJ and it was a big success. The parents enjoyed the music just as much as the kids. Another big hit and a first for us was the bounce inflatable. We also had several crafts for children and plenty of food. Again, another first for us was a cotton candy machine which turned out to be the most popular food item. In order to keep the program manageable we gave out free tickets to the event. In addition we gave out tickets for cotton candy and Italian ice to those attending. In previous years we had food and crafts prior to having a performer inside. Since this year's program received such positive feedback from parents and kids, we plan to repeat the format next year. Let's hope Mother Nature continues to cooperate.

The library had numerous performers and activities in July and August. They were all well attended including programs that weren't in previous years. It was nice to see families using the library so much.

My favorite part of the summer was watching the children who completed the summer reading program choose their prize from our "treasure chest." Even the older children were quite serious about their selections. Popular items were whistles, dream catcher key chains, small inflatable balls and notepads shaped like flip flops.

Children who completed the reading program were eligible to get tickets to our closing program, Summer Reading Fun Night, which was held August 20. Activities included games and crafts. Thanks to the generosity of Hamilton area merchants we had numerous door prizes as well.

Our wonderful Friends of the Library donated gift cards to Barnes & Noble. Every child who completed the reading program was entered into a drawing. There were 50 lucky winners.

Overall it was a great summer at the library. It's hard to believe that school starts next week. So does storytime registration. Not only are we planning our fall programs but are also already filing away ideas for next summer's reading program.


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