RUMFORD – Plans for Rumford Public Library’s 27th annual Summer Fest are nearly complete. Over the past 26 years, thousands of youngsters have taken part in the library’s Summer Fest activities and reading programs.

This year’s four-week schedule of daily events begins Monday, July 7, and continues through Friday, Aug. 1. The program is open to all area youngsters, free of charge. It includes Picnics in the Park story times, theatrical productions and many other fun-filled activities. Over the four weeks, the library will be visited by several special people from the community who will share their talents and interests with the children for an hour.

The summer reading program, which runs from Sunday, June 29, through Saturday, July 26, is a major component of the annual Summer Fest event. This year’s program, Take Flight with Reading, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, is no exception. The reading program encourages independent reading, and helps children maintain or enhance their reading skills and vocabulary during the school vacation. This program is designed not only for children who are independent readers, but also for children who have books read to them by parents, grandparents, siblings and caregivers. All children from preschool through age 14 are invited to participate.

Children are to read at least five days per week, for a length of time determined by the child’s age. Books read must be from the Children’s Room and should be appropriate to the child’s age and reading level.

Each week that a child meets the reading goal, she will receive a sandwich coupon from Subway. Those who meet the reading goal all four weeks will receive a certificate good for an ice cream treat from Scoop, plus a half-day pass to Big Adventure Center in Bethel. As an added bonus, those meeting the goal in either of the first two weeks will qualify for a ticket voucher for a Sea Dogs game Sunday, Aug. 10. Again this year Old Fort Western, the 1754 national landmark fort, store and house historic site in Augusta, will admit summer reading program participants free of charge when they present verification from their library. In addition, all Mainers who show their library cards receive $1 off their admission to the fort.

Visit their Web site at www.oldfortwestern.org to see the summer schedule.

Summer Reading logs with full details about the reading program and the Summer Fest schedule of events are available at the Children’s Desk.

Copy the Story Link