The Lincoln Center was abuzz with the joyous screams of more than 300 sugar-addled children Thursday night as they devoured free brownies, ice cream and punch. A long line had formed along the back wall as well, as children perused stacks of free books trying to decide which one to take home.
The kids and their parents were attending a party hosted by the Pittsburg Public Library to thank them for participating in the “Make a Splash @ the Pittsburg Public LIbrary Summer Reading Program for Kids and Young Adults.”
The library has hosted a similar event at the end of summer each year for more than 10 years, said spokesperson AnnDee Peterson. The reading program runs from June 1 to July 24, and each year the participation numbers, and the party, get bigger.
“This year we had a three to four percent increase in participation and the number of books read,” Peterson said. Attendance at the party was up too, and Peterson said her staff had set up enough chairs for only about 225 guests at the party.
By Peterson’s account, this year’s program was a wild success, with more than 850 kids participated in the reading program. That includes 660 participants in the 7- to-11-year-old programs and more than 100 in the 11- and up (Young Adults) age group.
“That’s really good for that age group,” she said.
Peterson said she thinks the program gives the young students an alternative and positive activity to take part in when they’re not in school, and the results are promising for the program’s future.
“For the kids that are in school, it encourages them to read over the summer,” Peterson said.
Additionally, more than 2,400 kids of all ages attended the library’s story times, which the library hosts five times each week and includes reading picture books, craft projects and puppet shows. Peterson said the program helps young children prepare for the classroom.
“Story time helps socialize them in a semi-structured environment,” she said.
Peterson said the library checked out some 22,713 books between June and July and issued more than 1,700 prizes. For their efforts, the library also issued 669 free mini-golf passes to the Four Oaks Golf course, and 1,621 free swim passes to the Pittsburg Aquatic Center.
