Library Reading Program — ‘Discover Summer’ & Win Prizes
Get out your flip-flops, it’s time to head to the library. What?! Reading by the pool, at the beach or in the shade is a summer essential, and Discover Summer – the Lexington Public Library’s reimagined summer reading program – has found the sweet spot where learning and having fun meet.
“I can hardly wait for summer to start,” Ann Hammond, the library’s executive director, said.
“The whole community seems to have rallied around our children to make Discover Summer a success this year, starting with our sponsor for the second year, PNC Bank, and continuing with a host of organizations and agencies who are giving Discover Summer a boost with events and support.”
Those organizations and agencies include:
– PNC Bank, which provides grant funding to make Discover Summer possible, including prize books given to all finishers.
-Alltech, which will show how to make a variety of soda flavors using yeast fermentation, combining food, fun and science.
-The Arboretum, site of story walks that take families through the pages of a picture book.
-Fayette County Public Schools, which will provide Countdown to Kindergarten T-shirts at all kickoff parties, giving incoming kindergartners access to educational activities around town throughout the summer.
-Lexington Family Magazine will give away free books over the summer. Parents can snap a photo of their child reading and upload to social media using the hashtag #LexFamReads to enter to win all summer long.
-Lexington Parks & Recreation, which will give a free one-time pool pass to every youth who completes 30 activities in Discover Summer’s Summer Activity Challenge.
-Lextran, which will allow students to use their Student Success Cards – public library cards given to students in the Fayette County Public Schools – to ride the bus free during the entire summer break.
– Malibu Jack’s will donate one free pass for each of the library’s six branches. Finishers can enter into prize drawings for passes to Mailbu Jack’s or other exciting destinations.
-Phoenix Forward, a joint project of the library, Parks & Recreation and the Downtown Development Authority and funded by the Knight Foundation that will provide a wide variety of games, music and other fun activities from 4 to 8 p.m. four evenings per week and from 10 a.m. to noon every Saturday at Phoenix Park during Discover Summer.
-Reach Out & Read, a nonprofit organization that will give away new books and conduct school-readiness activities at the library’s Discover Summer kickoff parties.
Discover Summer encourages youth (and adults) to keep track of their reading during June and July, but it also challenges participants to learn about animals, discover where math and art converge, move to the sounds of Grammy Award-nominated performer Zak Morgan, create their own cartoons and much more.
The Lexington Public Library has for decades held summer reading programs to help students keep up, and even improve, their reading skills over the long summer break.
But new community partners have helped transform this library mainstay into a citywide educational effort.
Discover Summer will kick off with parties and petting zoos at all six locations of the Lexington Public Library between June 1 and 5.
The library will mark the halfway point with parties and Snowie Shaved Ice at all locations between July 6 and 8.
Each week to the end of July will include different activities.
For a complete schedule, visit lexpublib.org or pick up a calendar at any library location.