Summer reading program invites readers to ‘Unearth a Story’

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Get ready for a summer of fun with the Harrison Township Public Library’s summer reading program.

The theme this year is “Unearth a Story” for children, teens and adults.

Tina Rossow, head of youth and teen services, said the kickoff is from noon to 2 p.m. on June 20. The last day of the summer reading program will be on Aug. 15.

“We’re going to have a huge foam party,” Rossow said.

There will also be food trucks available and patrons can sign up for the program.

“It’s just basically two hours full of fun,” Rossow said.

Children can complete bingo cards each week. When turned in, they can choose an item from a treasure chest and receive a ticket to put in one of six prize baskets. Rossow said the prizes are all themed. There are also coupons available for local businesses.

Teens will complete a program called “dig sites” for summer reading. They will receive a pamphlet with tasks they need to do.

“They can either go to a teen program, read a book or complete a library resource,” Rossow said.

The aim is to get teens more acquainted with library resources. Once a dig site is done, teens receive an entry to two big summer reading prize baskets.

Brittany Ploep, an adult services librarian, said the adults will have a treasure hunt pamphlet similar to last year’s summer reading.

“They’ll be completing, like, reading audio books, using our databases and definitely coming to our programs throughout the summer,” Ploep said.

The adults will get raffle tickets for different prize baskets once the tasks are completed. Librarians will draw tickets at the end of the program.

Ploep said this year they added a treasure hunt within the community. Residents and nonresidents can get a treasure map at the front desk and explore the community to find the listed stops.

“Once you’ve ‘struck gold’ and visited all the locations, you can come back to the library and you can get a prize,” Ploep said.

Rossow said they see a large influx of patrons during summer reading. Last year was the biggest year they’ve had.

“We’re anticipating it to be the same and hopefully more,” Rossow said.

She said it might be due to after-school funding cuts.

At the very end of the program, the library will host a bookmark contest for all ages.

The library is part of the Suburban Library Cooperative with over 20 libraries included in the system.

Both Rossow and Ploep are excited for the program, saying it’s like their Olympics.

“It’s always our biggest thing of the year,” Rossow said.

Ploep said she wants residents to know this program is not just for kids.

“They (adults) are definitely welcome too,” Ploep said.

Both librarians said the program is free.

“We’re here to have a good time,” Ploep said. “We want people to utilize our resources.”

Pamphlets and registration forms can be found online and also can be picked up at the library. For more information, go to the library’s website at htlibrary.org.

The library is located at 38255 Lanse Creuse St.