The following article was written by Kristin Keck a Teen Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
SUMMER IS COMING—sounds a lot less ominous than “Winter is Coming,” doesn’t it? Summer, in general, means good times and lazy days. But, for Manitowoc Public Library, it means our busiest time is on the horizon. It means the Summer Reading Program is gearing up.
So, it’s me—Kristin Keck, Teen Services person and all-round word nerd—here again to tell you about some of the Teen Summer Events at the Library.
First off, if you need volunteer hours over the summer, be sure to get a Teen Volunteer form turned in to the Youth Services Desk ASAP. Forms can be found online here or at the Youth Desk upstairs. Get ‘em in quick—the first orientation meeting for volunteers is Friday, May 24, and we need those forms to be turned in by the beginning of May. The Summer Reading Program starts Monday, June 10, and we want everyone briefed and ready to hit the ground running.
Speaking of getting ready—do you have a Beanstack account to track your reading? If not, we can help you set one up at the Library, or you can download the free Beanstack app on your own. In my opinion, though, the best way to get signed-up for Summer Reading is to come to Cedar Crest Ice Cream Parlor on Thursday, June 6. The Summer Reading Sign Up will start at 12 PM that day and the first 100 signups get a free kid’s-size cone. Any time there’s free ice cream—that’s a good time! Get more information here.
There are three months of great programs that kick-off after the sign-up, but here are the ones I’m most excited about.
We start strong with two favorites—Katie from Glaze & Paint gives us room to bloom with Fantastic Flower Pots on Friday, June 14 and Jim Lenz proves It IS Rocket Science on Friday, June 21. If that weren’t enough, the Library transforms into an indoor putting range on Saturday, June 15, so stop by and take a swing in the stacks!
In July, we’ll be at the Rahr-West Art Museum on Friday, July 19 for a Paint Pour to get the creativity flowing. I’m very pleased to have Mr. Ray Gates from the Wisconsin Tai Chi Academy coming in to teach Meditation and Movement: Beginner’s Tai Chi on Wednesday, July 24. Be sure to put those programs on your calendar—registration will be required for both and I think they’ll fill up fast.
Who wants to think about the end of summer before it’s even begun? Well, nobody, but there are two things I want to tell you about in August. Just when temperatures couldn’t get higher, we’re going to set some fires and Let It Burn! Joshua Stuck, the Woodsy Dude, will be here to teach starting a survival fire from various materials (this will require registration, too, so watch for it on our website’s Event Calendar). Then, we’ll cool things off with a freeform ice cream party. Start and end your summer with free ice cream!
In between we’ll have snakes, marbles, and tie-dye. We’ll paint the library, test our taste buds, and win it in a minute. See what I mean abut summer being a busy time at MPL!?
SUMMER IS COMING—and it’s going to be great!
