by Robyn Woods
Warmer days are here, and Summer is just around the corner. With kids and teens counting down the days until the start of summer, I am also preparing for a Summer of fun. The Adams County Library System is getting ready for SummerQuest and FunFest. This year’s theme is “All-together Now,” and it celebrates kindness, friendship, and unity.
We are getting the fun started with FunFest. FunFest is Friday, June 9th, from 3:00-7:00 PM at the Gettysburg Rec park. This is a free event, rain or shine. People of all ages are welcome to come and join us for a fun night out. Vendors from non-profits around the community and local food trucks will be there to help kick off SummerQuest.
SummerQuest is an all-ages reading program to promote reading for all ages.
This program runs from June 1 to August 12. Both children and adults have the opportunity to earn prizes. Registration begins on May 25th. To register for the program, you can go to our website https://www.adamslibrary.org/summerquest and click on “Beanstack”. That is where you register and log your reading minutes. For children, once you have registered on Beanstack, you can begin to record the minutes that you have read. You have the opportunity to win a prize for every 200 minutes that you read. For the adult challenge, you record the number of books that you read.
Each library will be hosting programs for kids of all ages. For magic enthusiasts, there will be four opportunities to attend a magic show. On June 22nd, both the Harbaugh- Thomas Library and the Carroll Valley Library will be hosting a magician. Later in the Summer, there will be a magic show at the Gettysburg Library, which is being held on July 20th, and the New Oxford Library is hosting one on August 3rd. For animal lovers,
The Strawberry Hill animal ambassadors will be visiting the New Oxford library on July 13th. Carroll Valley Library On July 20th and the Littlestown Library on July 21st. If you are interested in bugs be sure to check out Ryan the Bugman when he visits the Harbaugh-Thomas library on July 27th.
Here in Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Library is preparing for an educational visit from the Reptile Invasion. We are also thrilled to host the local author Kate Albus. She will be coming to discuss her book “A Place to Hang the Moon”. This is a middle-grade chapter book. Each attendee will receive a free copy of the book due to the support we receive yearly from the Helen K. Martin Author-Visit Endowment Fund. Kids are welcome to discuss the book and meet the author. If you were looking for something that you could do with your kids and their grandparents. People of all ages are invited to attend our Alice in Wonderland Tea Party.
Kids have the chance to learn sign language at the New Oxford Library through their program “Let’s Sign Together”. The Littlestown library will be celebrating all things purple at their purple party, which will also be celebrating the new “Harold and the Purple Crayon” movie. In July, they are also excited to bring a Polynesian dancing tour to their library. The Summer of Fun continues at the Trone Memorial Library on August 4th, when they will be hosting an end-of-Summer Carnival.
The fun isn’t just for younger children, as each library offers programs and activities for teens. Teens at the Carroll Valley Library can show their artistic side at their paint night. The Harbaugh-Thomas library is offering STEM activities which include water testing. If your teen is interested in STEAM and likes helping others be sure to check out the STEAM Buddies program at Trone Memorial Library in East Berlin. Also, at the Trone Library, people 12 and up can participate in making their own book at the Bookmaking Workshop.
For adults, there are several opportunities to have fun or learn something new by participating in book clubs, one of the many crafting programs, or by attending an educational program on history or gardening.
If you would like more information on any of these programs, please see our website https://www.adamslibrary.org/ or give us a call. Be sure to stop by your local branch and get a “What’s Happening” booklet, which is your guide to all of the programs happening over the summer. Some programs require registration, so make sure to sign-up online ahead of time. The fun will be here before you know it.
Robyn Woods, Youth Services Librarian/ Coordinator for the Adams County Library System.