Crown Point Community Library promotes fun reading opportunities for all ages in Summer Reading Programs

On Wednesday, June 25, the Crown Point Community Library presented a large-scale storytime event at the City of Crown Point’s Bulldog Park venue as part of its Summer Reading program. 

From June 1 to July 31, the Crown Point Community Library celebrates its Summer Reading Program, “Color Our World”,  and is managing a schedule of fun activities for kids and adults to come together and celebrate the joy of reading. A big part of Summer Reading includes the popular weekly storytime held each Wednesday at Bulldog Park in Crown Point at 10 a.m. throughout June and July. Hundreds of attendees enjoy a new storytime theme each week with a unique blend of music, stories, and interactive activities.  In addition to the storytimes at Bulldog Park, the Winfield Branch of the Crown Point Community Library also holds storytimes at Randolph Street Park in Winfield on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. through the end of July. 

Library director, Julie Wendorf shares, “One of the unique features of the library’s summer storytimes at Bulldog Park is how it highlights our community helpers by including visits from the Crown Point Fire Department, Crown Point Police Department, Mayor Pete Land paired with the City’s Public Work Department, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Crown Point Community School Corporation. Winfield’s storytimes feature lots of music as the library’s staff member, Robert Wray, uses his fantastic musical talents to create an interactive storytime experience filled with sing-a-longs and lots of musical instruments.” 

This week’s event at Bulldog Park was all about firefighters and opened featuring a book Firefighter Flo! by Andrew Zimmerman and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. The second book was Firefighters (Trucks & Stuff), by Finn Coyle and was read by Crown Point Firefighter Nate Long. Firefighter Long was accompanied by many other members of the Crown Point Fire Department who brought a variety of fire trucks, equipment, and even the firehouse dog, Sophie, that helped to bring the week’s storytime theme to life.

Alissa Williams, Head of Youth Services at the library, loves the impact of the themed, large-scale storytime, “It’s a lot of fun, because the kids get a chance to become more familiar with everybody who plays a part in our community,” Williams said. “Today our fire department gets a chance to share fire trucks, an ambulance, and even an antique fire truck that has been used in Crown Point.We love getting crowds here at our storytimes. It’s all about having fun and learning in a way that the kids can look forward to.”

The storytime session today got the kids to participate in interactive moments such as imitating firefighters, singing along, repeating noises from the book, and waving around color scarves with interactive movement. A favorite part of the program was the chance to climb in the fire trucks and other equipment after the storytime concluded. 

Storytimes are just a small part of the Crown Point Community Library’s Summer Reading Program this year.  Willams shares the importance of the program for the community’s children, “It is all about getting kids into the library, promoting literacy all summer long, and helping them to be ready to start school ready to learn.” The library’s program rewards children reading and provides a weekly check in prize as well as a chance to win great grand prizes. The program wouldn’t be possible without great community involvement by our sponsors that provide coupon rewards.” 

Wendorf shares that kids aren’t the only ones who get to have fun at the library, “Summer Reading is for all ages. The library also has an adult program for individuals 18 years old and older that gives a chance to win great weekly prizes, too, including a chance to win gift cards to area restaurants on the Square.” Special programs are also available for adults, including the very popular historic homes trolley tour. 

Some other upcoming summer events for the Crown Point Community Library include Smarty Pants’ Big Balloon show, Wonderlab Interactive Science show, and Masterpiece Mayhem Escape Room. Starting on June 27, the Crown Point Community Library hosts Movie Nights at Bulldog Park, with the premiere of Dog Man. Additional showings for this series include Paddington in Peru on July 11, A Minecraft Movie on August 8, and Moana 2 on September 12 and a special interactive showing of Wicked on September 26. Stay up to date on upcoming events for the Crown Point Community Library here.

To learn more about the Crown Point Community Library, you can visit crownpointlibrary.org.