Mad Science will be featured in the Scotland Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Program on July 30 at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.
LAURINBURG — The Scotland County Memorial Library is gearing up for the annual summer reading program, which is set to start next week.
Color our World is the theme for the year and the programs officially kick off Wednesday June 4 with Community Day, taking place from 3 to 5 p.m., featuring live music, interactive booths, refreshments, and a chance to meet local artists and library staff.
“We’re excited to have the programs back at the library this year,” said Library Program Coordinator Katelin Gandee. “While we were super thankful to the community centers and parks and recreation to let us hold our programs there last year, we’re excited to be back at the library and for everyone to enjoy the renovated space.”
This year’s community day will feature more than just community partners, according to Gandee.
“We’re going to have lots of our community partners, including the Laurinburg Fire Department, the Arts Council, RCC, the Chamber, Health Department and so many more,” Gandee said. “But I think the highlight is going to be having Foam N Fun outside. They’re going to be blowing out mountains of bubbles for the kids to play in so we’re encouraging everyone to wear clothes they don’t mind getting wet and to bring a towel.”
Community Day also kicks sign-ups off for the Summer Reading Challenge which will run until the end of July. The challenge is open to all ages, with a challenge for kids, teens, and adults.
“We had over 200 signups last year so I’m hoping we’ll be able to break that this year,” Gandee said. “All anyone has to do to sign up is stop by the library and get a paper or they can sign up on the ReadSquared app. For kids ages birth to 12, they are challenged to read 1,000 hours, which seems like a lot but if they read 20 minutes a day they will surpass that during the challenge.
“They also get to get a prize out of the treasure chest every 100 points and get a grand prize at the end. For teens, they’re also encouraged to read 20 minutes a day to hit the 1,000 points but they’ll get a grand prize at the end. This is our second year having adults do the challenge and they read 10 books over the summer, but there’s no page limit. So it could be a 50-page book a 1,000-page book or even an audiobook it doesn’t matter. To encourage the signups as well we’ll be giving out a SCML tote bag to those who sign up though it is limited to one per family.”
Following Community Day, the Scotland County Memorial Library will host weekly programming through early August, offering a wide variety of educational and entertaining events for all ages.
The library’s summer lineup is packed with programs scheduled nearly every week through early August. It begins on June 11 at 10:30 a.m. with a visit from the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, followed by a program from the North Carolina Aquarium on June 18 at 1 p.m. On June 25 at 10:30 a.m., the North Carolina Symphony will bring a musical experience to library guests. There will be no scheduled program on July 2, but activities resume on July 9 at 10:30 a.m. with an educational session by Wagram Apiary.
The popular children’s music group Big Bang Boom will perform two shows on July 16, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., followed by the entertaining Rockstar Magic on July 23, also with performances at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Science lovers can enjoy interactive fun with Mad Science on July 30, again at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The summer programming wraps up with Messtival on August 6, a special end-of-summer-reading arts celebration held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m which was funded in part by the Mid Atlantic Library Alliance.
“We’re bringing back a lot of favorites from last year but also having some new programming this year,” Gandee said. “One thing I am most excited about is the Messtival. With the art theme in Color Our World I was trying to think of how I could do an end-of-summer reading when I saw on the official programming booklet ‘Messtival’ so I started looking into it. It’s basically a messy arts festival and we’re so excited. We’re going to have Foam N Fun back for this event along with tie-dye, chalk art, fly swatter painting, sponge painting, and temporary tattoos. It’s definitely going to be messy but also a whole lot of fun.”
Going along with the art theme, there are going to be several art-based classes at the library for teens and adults. The classes include on June 12 Creative Cuts: A Cricut Workshop; on June 26 Framing 101 with Bob Dean; on July 10 Flora Glow: Pressed Flower Tea Lights; on July 24 the Art of Decoupage. All the classes will be from 4 to 5 p.m. and require sign-ups ahead of time.
“I wanted to do something for the adults this summer and just provide a way for them to get out of the house and get creative,” Gandee said. “The Cricut class was actually requested by some of the ladies in our Chat and Craft group because they had the machines but had never used them. However, the tea lights and decoupage are really just craft nights rather than full classes but I wanted to keep it limited to those teens and adults.”
Throughout the summer, the Scotland County Memorial Library will continue offering its regular lineup of programs for all ages. Toddler Storytime will be held every Tuesday from 10 to 10:30 a.m., while Chat and Craft will take place on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Mini Makers Craft and Play returns on the second Friday of each month from 11 a.m. to noon, and Dungeons and Dragons sessions will be hosted on the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For homeschooling families, the Homeschool Hangout meets on the third Monday of each month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The Book Club gathers on the third Wednesday of the month from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., while the Lego Club meets on the first Thursday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m. Rounding out the monthly offerings, Family Craft Nights are scheduled for the last Wednesday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m.
“The only changes to our normal programming will be that the July Lego Club will be canceled and the June book club is moving up a week,” Gandee said. “The June Book Club meeting will be on the 11th instead of the 18 since the library is closing early since Juneteenth is the next day. Then Lego Club in July will be canceled since so many people go out of town that week for vacation we won’t have a program and we’ll be closed the next day we decided not to have it but we will be having toddler time week.”
To stay up to date with the library follow their Facebook Page: Scotland County Memorial Library. Each Monday, the week’s events are posted and the sign-ups for the adult art classes and the family craft nights can be found there.
“We’re really excited about summer reading and to get to see everyone back in the library,” Gandee said. “We still get so many people in who haven’t been in since the renovation so we’re excited to have the events here and get the community in the library.”