SOUTHWICK — The petting zoo and circus performance this weekend are just the start of a six-week Summer Reading Program at the Southwick Public Library.
“Every year we have a lot of fun things going on,” said Molly Encarnacion, coordinator of children’s services at the library. “Lots of free and fun events for all ages.”
Summer reading kicks off with a special event late Saturday morning, June 24, in the parking lot outside the library at 93 Feeding Hills Road, Southwick. Firefly Fields will bring its mobile petting zoo, 10:30-11:30 a.m., followed by Kevin O’Keefe presenting Circus Minimus at 11:30 a.m. Crafts for children and teens will be available while they last, and popcorn and drinks will be served.
Adults, teens and children will be invited to sign up for summer reading, which will continue through early August.
Encarnacion encouraged all readers to sign up for the program and read as much as they can, even if it’s just a little. There are no restrictions on what type of books qualify for the program.
“Any reading is good reading,” she said.
For students entering the sixth grade at Powder Mill School, the library has the school’s summer reading list, with books available to check out.
She said 140 children participated in the Summer Reading Program last year, and participation has varied widely in previous years. She’s hoping to have more participants this year.
The centerpiece of the program is the weekly reader raffles. Library patrons can log their summer reading using an app called Beanstack — available on smartphones, home computers, or on the computers at the library. Every hour of reading can be redeemed for a raffle ticket, with weekly prize drawings for children (age 2 to grade 6), teens (grades 7-12) and adults.
Raffle tickets can also be earned by attending in-person library events and completing weekly “challenges” for children and teens.
The first week’s challenge, June 26-30, is to bring a food donation to the library, to be donated to Our Community Food Pantry. The second week challenge is a donation drive for the Polverari Southwick Animal Control Facility — cat food, dog food, treats and blankets.
Challenges in weeks 3-6 will follow the summer reading theme of “Find Your Voice,” Encarnacion said, including “Sing It Out,” July 10-14, in which children can some in and sing their favorite song to a librarian; “Act It Out,” July 17-21, where children can mime their favorite summer activity; an outdoor story path, July 24-28; and “Write It Out,” July 31 to Aug. 4, where children are invited to write a poem about the library. Encarnacion said the poem can be in any format — haiku, acrostic or limerick, for example. Entries will be posted at the library.
The library will continue to offer in-person events throughout the summer. Some highlights, Encarncion said, are “Cardboard Explosion,” a puppet theater event for children at 1:30 p.m. on July 12, and a virtual reality gaming event for teens, 1-4 p.m. on July 18. The full library calendar is posted at www.southwickma.org/southwick-public-library.
Participants do not need to have a Southwick library card to participate, Encarnacion said. Youngsters can borrow books on their parents’ card, she said, and those who hold a card from any library in the C/WMARS network, which includes most libraries in Western Massachusetts, can participate in Southwick. Anyone 5 years old or older who wants to sign up for a library card is welcome to do so, she said.