The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System (ARCPLS) started its annual Summer Reading Program on Thursday.
All six public libraries in Richmond County are participating in the program, in which kids are encouraged to read at least 20 minutes a day to earn prizes. Kids who log in 10 days of reading earn a free book or another prize, and can do so three times over the summer.
Kids who read at least 30 days by July 31 can enter to win a grand prize to be drawn the first week in August.
“Literacy is a predictor of future success,” said Mayor Garnett Johnson. “And it is my hope that this program encourages Augusta-Richmond County students to read and learn during the summer months and provides a platform that will help students arrive at school in August prepared to succeed.”
Adults can also participate, as those ages 19 and older can attempt to log in 600 minutes of reading for the prizes, which include guest passes to the Lucy C. Laney Museum of Black History and the Augusta Museum, gift cards and certificates to Chick-Fil-A and Stars and Strikes. Tablets, video games and GreenJackets merch are among the grand prizes.
“We tend to have 1,200 people register and participate,” said ARCPLS public relations assistant Diondra Blocker. “But we’re hoping to double that number this year.”
The theme for this year’s program is “All Together Now,” emphasizing the public library as a hub for a community of people with various cultural backgrounds, body types, gender identities and family structures, says Blocker.
“The library is for everyone, no matter their social category,” she said. “The library is probably one of the few places where people from different backgrounds have the opportunity to cross paths and receive the same information and resources without experiencing prejudice or discrimination.”
In keeping with the theme, Summer Reading will offer a variety of activities — such as classes, and virtual field trips — featuring guest speakers, authors and other community members to talk about their experiences.
Forthcoming guests include Sean Poppy, outreach coordinator from the Savannah River Ecology Lab, with presentations on local native animals, Anne Sprinkler and her therapy dog, and Brown Beauty Magic-Royal Events offering story time.
Brown Beauty Magic-Royal is a local company that features ethnically diverse performers as various characters — such as fairytale and Disney princesses and comic book superheroes — for birthday parties and other events.
“One of the best ways to learn is by looking through the lens of shared experiences,” said Blocker. “We’re bringing the community together and encouraging understanding, kindness, friendship, and unity.”
Brown Beauty Magic will also perform at the Summer Reading Program’s Kickoff Event on Saturday, which will be free and open to the public. Alongside games, crafts and giveaways, young bookworms attending can expect free hotdogs from Lanier’s Fresh Meat Market, free snow cones courtesy of Kona Ice, and animals from Wallace Farms Petting Zoo.
The ARCPLS will host the Summer Reading Program Kickoff Event on Saturday, June 3, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Brookfield Park, 2740 Mayo Road, in Augusta.
To register for the Summer Reading Program itself, or for more information, visit www.arcpls.beanstack.org.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
