Summer reading program ends with a bang

The Siloam Springs Public Library finished the Summer Reading Program with a bang. Parents, children, librarians and other friends of the library congregated on Tuesday afternoon at the Bob Henry Park to celebrate the children's studious summer endeavors.

"We are having our ending celebration for the Summer Reading Program for all the children that read at least three hours or more during the summer," said Delilah Williamson, program coordinator for the library. "It is a great event, it is a lot of fun, and it is just basically celebrating the kids and their hard work and reading. We do this every year as long as our community sponsors help us out and the Friends of the Library (FOL) help us out, because without them we would not be able to do it."

The program has gotten bigger every year, with this year the biggest so far, Williamson said. Around 304 children participated in the summer program and about 190 showed up for the final celebration. The total hours of reading for all the children has yet to be calculated, but some of the grand prize winners for most reading include Jaxon West with more than 99 hours of reading time, Charles Raith with more than 94 hours, Eliot Posey with more than 194 hours, and Rachel Thompson with more than 146 hours.

The attendees were treated to free hotdogs, watermelon, and cotton candy while the children ran in three-legged races, got their faces painted, or jumped in inflatable obstacle courses and bouncy houses. There were also grand prizes given to the kids who read the most in four different age categories, as well as random drawings for door prizes.

The FOL had set up shop at the event to sell shirts and tote bags, but also to enjoy the end of another successful reading program that could only happen with the help of the FOL.

"The Friends of the Library provide the financial support for the summer reading program, we have been doing this the last dozen years, ever since the Summer Reading Program began," said Laura Flynn, FOL board member. "We are a 501c3 non profit, so we can apply for grants to pay for part of the entertainment. We help purchase the curriculum for the program. We supply materials. And we supply volunteer help for the story time."

Flynn added that FOL is extremely excited for the new library building and the group has planned some community outreach programs and activities to help fundraising efforts to provide some "extras" for the new building.

Another community sponsor that was present was the Siloam Springs Regional Hospital. The organization had an informational booth set up at the event where they networked with families and handed out magnetic bookmarks.

"We are showing our support for the kiddos of our community and their efforts in their reading program" said Cathy Davis, director of marketing for Siloam Springs Regional Hospital. "I think this is a wonderful program for the families of Siloam Springs. It is a wonderful way for kiddos to be encouraged to spend their summer expanding their knowledge with reading books. We have not been participating throughout the summer, but each year we do get involved in some way. Last year we provided some prizes that they gave away throughout the program."

Alexxis Gatain was at the ending celebration with her face painted in a cat-like fashion. Gatain had read far past her three-hour minimum and was nearly at 24 hours of accumulated reading time, said her mother, Felicia Gillis.

"She has gotten through a lot of books," Gillis said. "We do the home school program throughout the year on Thursdays, and we have gone every Thursday for the (summer) program they have had and it has been a lot of fun."

Gatain was soft spoken and shy, so she did not say much about the program other than she read a lot and her favorite book was "Sage" an American Girl Doll book. She said she enjoyed the story because of the bravery of the main character.