782 children & teens took part in the reading incentive programs, a big increase from just over 700 in 2011! 270 participants collected the final set of prizes, including a free book of their choice, by reaching the goal of reading 20 books and/or hours.
The "Fabulous Family Fare" series included Stories in the Sky presented by UW Space Place; Incredible Bats! with Sharon Peterson; Mark Hayward's Super Awesome Yo-Yo Day; and an afternoon of story & song with area favorite Stuart Stotts. These popular shows were attended by large, appreciative audiences each week.
Preschoolers attended six weeks of dream-filled fun during Preschool Story Times, followed by a Youth Volunteer Puppet Players' performance of "Night Time, the Right Time for Stories!" at the end of July. School-age kids enjoyed stories, games & crafts that focused on dreams & aspirations, camping & outer space in their June & July "Some Fun!" workshops. There was also a Mid-Week Movie for all ages, featuring the ever-popular Scooby-Doo, complete with free popcorn & munchie mix.
Read2Dogs returned to Tuesday afternoons, after a Meet-&-Greet on June 19. Children could read loud to a friendly Doberman, Blackjack; a gentle Blue Great Dane, Logan; a snow-white husky-lab mix, Annie, and a pair of Golden Retrievers, Jack & Jill. They and their respective trainers, Dave, Mavis, Cate and Sue, are so generous with their time, and everyone truly enjoys their visits!
Our June craft workshop for teens in grades 6-12 was a very successful Create with "Duck" Tape - Part 3! Two separate Game Days occurred for teens, each followed by a FAMILY Game Day for all ages! From from June 1 to July 1, teens could vote for their favorite scary movie for their Mid-Week Movie Scare-a-thon on July 11. And this year, the TeenRead book blog became a Facebook page where teens could comment on whatever they'd been reading - or simply take a look at what was posted, and get ideas & suggestions for what to read next.
We held our Summer Library Program Finale on July 26, attended by 130 people. Free tickets were distributed in the lobby for one of two hour-long stargazing shows inside Paul Kinzer's inflatable Starlab Planetarium. Finale-goers could also play a variety of games set up throughout the Children's Library; make bats, Saturn mobiles, spaceships & glow-in-the-dark fireflies in the Craft Room; enter a drawing for door prizes; and sign four Big Thank-You cards being mailed to our Read2Dogs trainers & therapy dogs. From 2-3 p.m., Maynard the Mallard dropped by - the official mascot for the Madison Mallards Baseball team! Youth passes for Mallards tickets have long been a popular summer reading prize; many photos with Maynard were taken during his Finale visit.
Our library greatly relies on and benefits from the work of enthusiastic middle & high school Youth Volunteers. We really appreciate their assistance with program registration, stamping reading records & giving out prizes, preparing materials, and helping younger children with crafts at programs throughout the summer. Not to mention their expert help in setting up the Wii and Guitar Hero big screen gaming systems during our four Game Days; and setting up/breaking down the meeting room dozens of times during the summer. Many thanks are in order - the Summer Library Program would be a much smaller operation without their contributions.
As always, our heartfelt thanks go to the following businesses & organizations for their generous support:
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Friends of McFarland Library
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Culver’s Frozen Custard Restaurant
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Pizza Hut of Southern Wisconsin
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Dane County Fair
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Madison Mallard’s Baseball
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Jim Hartman of State Farm Insurance
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McFarland Pick 'n Save
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McFarland House Cafe
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Half Price Books, Essex Square (East Towne)
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Spartan Pizza
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Spartan Bowl
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Eugster's Farm Market
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Milwaukee Public Museum & Planetarium
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South Central Library System