A crowd of 125 area residents recently gathered at Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library, 109 S. State St. in Hampshire, for the library’s annual winter reading open house.
“It was a successful event,” said Dawn Cummins, the library’s youth services manager. “Eighty children signed up for the winter reading challenge. I brought 100 cookies for the cookie-decorating activity. They were all gone by the end of the night.”
Other activities during the open house included a book genre scavenger hunt, bookmark craft and the chance to be photographed with the Cat in the Hat.
Teen librarian Nancy McKay said teens played Xbox 360 and board games in the library’s community room while enjoying free popcorn.
The reading challenge is open to all ages. Participants can register any time before Feb. 20 and pick up their reading log.
Parents can set a goal of reading 25 books to their preschool children. Students from kindergarten to fifth grade can sign up to read for 375 minutes or more. Once they have completed their goal, they should return their reading log to the library by Feb. 29 for their choice of a free book, a treat, and an entry in the library’s grand prize drawing.
Teens and adults can participate in the winter reading program by signing up for a bingo card. Once they have completed the card, they should return it and pick up a prize. The library has ensured there are no duplicate bingo card logs.
The library has a number of upcoming events including the second annual Harry Potter Book Night at 6 p.m. Feb. 4.
According to the Harry Potter website, over 10,000 schools, libraries and book stores participated in the worldwide event last year. For 2016, “A Night of Spells” will incorporate ideas from all seven books in the series for a variety of games and crafts. Attendees who come in costume will receive a prize.
McKay invites teens to the library at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 in order to plan activities around the theme of “Teen Tech Week.” Pizza will be served. Teen events are for students in grades seven through 12. Serving on the Teen Advisory Board counts as volunteer hours for different church, scout and school groups. Teen book reviews are printed in the Teen Advisory Board newsletter.
Children’s activities at the library include the after-school Storybook Picassos program, family movie nights, family story nights, Crazy 4 Crafts, Lego Club, Snacks and Stories Book Club, Read to Rover and the Souns early-literacy program.
Adult programs include the Monday Night Book Club, movie matinees, All About Apps, and the genealogy clubs known as Tree Climbers and Who Do You Think You Are.
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For information, contact the library at 847-683-4490 or [email protected].
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.