By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
HAMLET — If anyone desired peace and quiet, the Hamlet Public Library was not the place to be Friday morning.
Well over 100 children helped celebrate the end of the library’s summer reading program with a celebration for the ages — or, at least, this week. With a bounce house, face painting, water sprinklers, sno-cones, frisbees and hula hoops, children of all stripes enjoyed the festivities on the lawn outside the library.
There was plenty reason to celebrate, as Belinda Norton said the library hosted a record number of children and parents for the four-week program that started June 18 and ended July 9. Some 215 people, including 170 children, attended the first program and 307 people, including 54 adults, came to the June 25 events.
Combined, the four-week program served 1,055 people, though most assuredly many of them were repeat patrons. The turnout was so large, Norton said, the program was forced to relocate from the library to Fairview Heights Elementary School.
Norton noted that the summer fun is far from being done. The county’s three libraries coordinated their separate summer reading programs to stagger one another.
“We have the whole summer covered,” Norton said.
The city of Hamlet and the Friends of the Hamlet Library were among the organizations to support the grand finale on Friday in Hamlet.
At Kemp Memorial Library in Ellerbe (910-652-6130), the fun begins at 2 p.m. on July 2 with Booming Mad Science, followed by: Fizzing Fit with Richmond Raiders on July 9, Crazy About Science on July 16; Fizz … the Secret is Out with Steve Brogan on July 23; Pop into Reading on July 30; and Grand Finale on Aug. 1.
In Rockingham (910-895-6338), kids can begin the summer program at 10 a.m. on July 16 with Cold Blooded Encounters; Fizz … the Secret is Out on July 23; Energy, Energy, Energy on July 30; Mad Science on Aug. 6 and Rock Star Magic will be featured in the Grand Finale on Aug. 13.
In addition to the regularly scheduled programs, each child who attends a scheduled summer reading program will receive a backpack with a free book. There’s only one catch, Deborah Knight said.
“What we hope the kids do with that book bag is bring it back to the library and check out some books,” she said.
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