On Sunday afternoon, the Williamsburg Library Plaza was full of activity. Children gleefully screamed down an inflatable water slide as others indulged in face painting, arts and crafts, henna tattoos and free popcorn.
Nearby, parents ate Ben and Jerry’s ice cream under umbrellas while a D.J. played hits from the past 20 years in the background.
The Williamsburg Regional Library’s second annual Summer Reading Kick-Off Party, which brought the community together for an afternoon of family fun.
“Just being outside and doing things people normally don’t associate a library with is fun. It shows we are a hub of family fun for the community,” said Sandra Towers, WRL’s youth services director. She said they brought the event back due to popular demand.
“People also told us they loved having a free family fun event to do on Father’s Day, so we decided to do it on Father’s Day again this year,” Towers said.
In addition to games and free ice cream, the festival served as a way for people to sign up for the library’s summer reading program.
“Last year we got 400 (signups), so I think we will outpace that this year,” Towers said.
WRL’s summer reading programs are for any age. Towers said the children’s program includes reading, logging and sharing what they’ve done.
“The most important thing is (children) come into the library each week and tell us about what they’ve been reading — and that sharing or telling part is unique to our program and helps kids improve their comprehension and also keep their reading skills over the summer,” Towers said.
Venessa Silva, a mom at the festival, said her family loves the summer reading program and all the events WRL puts on.
“We were just talking, because I’m going to retire (from the Navy) in the next few years and we’re never going to find someplace that has such an active library as this one,” Silva said. “So we’re really going to miss it when we do leave because they have so many programs.”
Want to participate?
Register in person at the James City County Library, 7770 Croaker Road, the Williamsburg Library, 515 Scotland St., the mobile library or online at wrl.beanstack.org. More information is available at wrl.org/summer-reading.
