Library programs will be rockin’ — Summer reading, Legos and movies are at the Lincoln County Public Library in June

Published 10:27 pm Thursday, May 31, 2018

Laura Ann Walker sat with her legs drawn up beneath her, a copy of “Froggy’s Birthday Wish” spread across her lap and her 6-year-old, Ethan, in the crook of her arm. She read about Froggy and his chocolate-covered flies, Ethan followed along and pointed at the illustrations.

Nearby, West Lincoln’s Anna Grace Hawley, 8, flipped through “I Love You Mommy,” about a momma bear and her cub. Nine-year-old Haley White, from Amite County, took a glance through Marsha Hayles’ “He Saves the Day,” a story about imagination.

Elsewhere, children browsed through DVDs, or played with giant Legos, or watched baby chicks chirp and hop through wood shavings in a terrarium. It was a normal summer day at the Lincoln County Public Library, and there will be many more like it throughout the month of June.

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“These are fun ways to get kids to come to the library, see some entertainment and continue to grow intellectually,” said Kasie Brown, the library’s youth services coordinator. “When kids get out of school and they stop reading or doing anything to make their minds work, they lose some of the information they’ve gained throughout the year. We just want to keep them up to par, so when they get to the next grade, they’re ready.”

The library’s theme in June is “Libraries Rock,” and children will be invited to rock along with the summer reading program, Lego club and Totally Rockin’ Thursday Morning Movie Matinee across three days every week this month. The reading program begins Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the Lego activities are all day on Wednesdays and the matinees are Thursdays at 10 a.m.

Registration is required for the reading program, and children can be registered at the door Tuesday morning. All three programs are free.

The reading program will encourage participating children to read five books each week, and all participants will receive a weekly prize for reading — a coupon to a local restaurant. Those who read more than five books weekly will receive a second, small prize. The library will have books that appear on local schools’ summer reading lists, Brown said.

“Read whatever you want, just have fun with it and keep your brain working over the summer,” she said.

Children must be 6 years old to get their own library cards, and photo ID from a guardian is required.

The library is also hosting entertainment on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both shows are the same, and children and their parents are asked to attend one or the other.

Tyler Bridge will perform and give a presentation on music on June 5. Dorian the Magician will perform on June 12. The June 19 show is still being worked out, and Wink the Juggler will perform June 26.

Brown said some of the programs may have to be handled on a first-come, first-served basis — the library’s new art exhibit is taking up some of the activity space, and the library will also serve as a polling place for Tuesday’s primary election, meaning space will be limited.

Brown also asked library visitors to be mindful of new times. The library is now open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.