Summer Reading wrap up and look ahead
Smyth County residents of all ages enjoyed a busy summer reading season of programs about dinosaurs, archaeology, and ancient civilizations. More than 6,800 participants attended 172 programs that included story times, foam parties, petting zoos, a traveling dinosaur museum, caricatures, balloon animals, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and virtual walking tours of Machu Picchu and Pompeii. A lot of effort and creativity from our amazing staff goes into this program every year to help our youngest patrons stay connected to learning opportunities over the summer while also providing adult patrons with stimulating programs.
Looking ahead to Fall, we are resuming weekly story times at all locations after Labor Day. Story times are carefully planned programs that support kindergarten readiness by illustrating basic concepts like letters, numbers, colors, sizes, etc. with storybooks, craft activities, games, and songs. We work closely with area childcare providers, Head Start programs, and the pre-k programs in Smyth County elementary schools. Our adult programs include morning and evening Mahjongg session every Wednesday in Marion, our popular Monday Morning Mingle in Saltville where patrons enjoy coffee, crafts, and good company, and our energizing Monday morning Chair Yoga sessions in Chilhowie. All these programs are offered at no cost to participants.
The Makery, the makerspace that opened in Chilhowie last December, is thriving with patrons learning to create with our 3D printers, the Xtool laser cutter, Cricut machines, and sewing classes. Individual appointments are available through our website (https://scplva.net) or by calling the Chilhowie Branch at 276-646-3404. We plan to open our new recording studio around the end of September where patrons will be able to record music, podcasts, or videos in a professional soundproof room at no cost.
Finally, I want to highlight our wonderful Friends of the Library groups and their upcoming events. We are fortunate to have active Friends groups at each SCPL location. Their fundraising efforts support library programs and enable us to provide children with free books several times a year as well as refreshments for programs throughout the year or special programs like The Makery and Mahjongg.
The Marion Friends will welcome returning and prospective members to the Main Library on Thursday, Sept. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. for a silent auction of items donated by local artists, behind the scenes tours of library activities, refreshments, and a book sale. The Chilhowie Friends are working hard on their annual quilt and basket raffle in conjunction with the Apple Festival. They will be selling raffle tickets at Chilhowie High School home football games in September and at the branch library.
We hope to see you soon at one of our events!
Rose M. Likins serves as the SCPL Director. Reach her at rosel@scplva.net or 276-783-2323.
