A smaller than normal but no less eager group of youngsters gathered earlier this week at the Copperas Cove Public Library to celebrate another successful summer reading program with slices of pizza, cupcakes, and a few laughs.
With a theme of mythology and fantasy, library director Kevin Marsh and one of his assistants, Karen Eacrett, threw a series of suitably social-distanced parties for youngsters ranging in age from one to 15. Participation in this year’s reading program was down significantly, due in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, but for those who did come out, plenty of fun — and a little learning — was had by all.
“This year has been the strangest summer reading program ever because of the pandemic,” Marsh said, explaining that a final report on numbers has not been completed. “We really had to re-think everything. All the things we would normally do, we couldn’t do this year. Our total level of participation is way down, but for the kids who were able to come out, we had a program they seemed to enjoy.
“We had a lot of kids coming back every week. A lot of learning went on, and a lot of reading logs were turned in, so we can tell they were keeping their brains engaged through the summer — not getting into that summer slide (and) losing some of that reading ability. They’re staying sharp and doing cool things.”
Along with such things as story times, scavenger hunts, and arts and crafts, the scaled-back summer sessions included a presentation on rabbits from the Coryell County 4-H Ambassador program; a talk about rattlesnakes presented by a Colorado Bend State park ranger; and a presentation on the historic Chisholm Trail given by a Bell County Museum representative.
“I had a couple of storytellers, musicians, scientists lined up who put on large shows, and those all had to be cancelled,” Eacrett said. “Instead of large programs, we had multiple smaller programs. We also had an option for folks to do some reading at home, and then come in through Zoom to watch presentations.”
Two of the program’s participants were recognized during an afternoon party Wednesday for racking up more than 100 hours of reading this summer. Caillee Buchmeier and her brother, Jared, both said they read more this summer than ever before.
Part of the reason for their record-setting personal bests was the pandemic, but there was also a little bit of friendly competition involved.
Caillee, 12, said she has always liked to read, and enjoys fiction, especially the fantasy genre.
She participated in the summer reading program last year, but didn’t read as much then as she did this time around.
Jared, meanwhile, gave partial credit to his sister for his achievement.
“I’ve always read, but I was never that big a fan of reading,” the 13-year-old said. “My sister was being a show-off, and I wanted to beat her. I usually read when I can’t go to sleep, or there’s nothing to do and I really get bored. Since the pandemic happened, I can’t really go places, so that’s a big reason to read.
“I’d say the best part about the summer reading program is being with my family. Spending more time with my sister, because we don’t usually get along.”
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