As summer is winding down, the Port Orchard Library is happily giving out hundreds of free paperbacks purchased by our Friends of the Library to all of the children and teens that have read for 10 hours this summer.
About 2,680 kids and teens registered at the Port Orchard branch for the summer reading program and 819 of those have already returned to the library to collect their prize paperback as well as their free ticket to the Kitsap County Fair.
From the Taiko drummers that stunned an audience of over 400 with their musicianship to the over 60 entries in our “South Kitsap’s Got Talent” talent show — masterfully orchestrated by Children’s Librarian Lisa Lechuga — this was a summer to remember.
The programs were held at the Waterfront Marina Park gazebo and consistently attracted an audience of 300-400 people. Thanks to the Port of Bremerton for the use of the facility and the South Kitsap School District for providing everyone under age 18 a free sack lunch following the programs.
Teen Librarian Bradley Post worked with all the KRL teen librarians to bring more than 60 teens from around the county on four field trips to Seattle. These field trips included well known stops like the Seattle Art Museum and Seattle Public Library, as well as places of cultural significance like the Richard Hugo House and a behind-the-scenes tour of KEXP radio station. The summer field trips exposed teens to cultural opportunities in a way that parents can feel confident of their safety, yet give teens a bit more independence and provide them the opportunity to meet teens with similar interests from around the county.
“One Book, One Community”
The month of September means the start of “One Book, One Community” reading and programming. If you haven’t yet checked out a copy of the story of the 1936 gold medal-winning Olympic rowers, “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown, come down to the library and pick one up or download a free copy from our downloadable catalog.
I haven’t heard a negative comment on this title yet, but we’ve routinely been hearing comments like, “This is the best book I’ve ever read,” “it gave me goose bumps, I literally couldn’t put it down” and “this book is overdue because I had to loan it to two friends to read before I returned it.”
The author will be at the Port Orchard branch at 2 p.m. Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. for a community book group, so mark that on your calendars now.
All children’s programming is “on vacation” for September, as our youth services librarians will regroup after the busy summer. Programming for children and teens will return with a full schedule the first week of October. However, there is still plenty going on at the library in September.
For home-schooling families
There’s a new monthly program for homeschooling families, a “home-school meet-up” the third Wednesday of every month from 12-2 p.m. starting on Sept. 17. This will be an opportunity for home-schooling families to meet each other to discuss everything from curriculum questions to popular resources in a fun, informal atmosphere. Bring a sack lunch.
Adults programs
We also have several adult programs planned including our “Ship’s Log” book group on Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. and a drop-in crafting program on Sept. 2 at 2 p.m.
Check out our website www.krl.org for full details.
