Summer readers log 9,000 hours
Megan Strickland
Lucas Johnson wins a Beyblades toy after entering 18 tickets earned by participating in the summer reading program at Ronan Library.
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RONAN — Lucas Johnson sat with his eyes transfixed upon the box of Beyblades toys as several dozen other children also fidgeted anxiously, waiting for Ronan librarian Michelle Fenger to draw a name from a basket.
“I put all 18 tickets in for that one,” Johnson said.
Johnson won the Beyblades, one of 40 children and adults who received prizes for participating in the Ronan City Library and the D’arcy McNickle Library summer reading program.
By the time the program’s Saturday finale took place, 342 community members had read a total of 9,020 hours, a 78 percent increase from when the program began in 2007.
“It has steadily grown every year,” Fenger said. “We’re proud of everybody. It’s really fun. Our summers are very busy. We have kids waiting outside our doors for us to open. A lot of those same kids are in there all day hanging out.”
This year the library also allowed students to enter writing and poetry contests that were critiqued by qualified professors and former schoolteachers. The winners received cash prizes. Local businesses that donated prizes and the Friends of the Library who provided food at the summer finale also helped make the program successful. National Relief Charities provided free toiletries and necessities for families to choose from at the finale.
For Cheryl Erlenbusch, who has five grandchildren enrolled in the program, the benefits of participation are much greater than the chance at coveted prizes.
“We like the program because you get the kids out of the house when you go to the library,” Erlenbusch said. “It’s structured there. It’s safe. You can only afford so many books at home for your library. It gives kids initiative to do their reading so they keep up and are ready for school to start.”
The program shows kids reading can be fun.
“Sometimes with school it seems more like a chore, but with Michelle’s program you get to go and get your weekly prizes, so it’s a reward for kids for their accomplishments,” Erlenbusch said. “Then they have the barbecue and the big prizes. So it’s really fun.”
Erlenbusch’s trips to the library this year included frequent stops in the children’s section where her grandson could enjoy one of his favorites — Dr. Seuss. She plans to make a few more trips to the adult section next summer, because she will be participating in the adult category.
“We will all be reading,” she said.
