Beulah Summer Reading Program aims to bring community together



The Beulah Public library will kick off the 2023 summer reading program on May 30th, but they’re hoping to promote more than just literacy.

According to library director Jessie Mann, the nationwide summer reading program theme for 2023 is “All together now.” After the Hazen public library had the idea to incorporate bees into the theme, the Beulah library adapted it as well, making the theme for both libraries “Bee kind: All together now,” in an effort to narrow down their focus.

Some of the ways that the library is embracing that theme this summer includes a weekly “scavenger hunt,” where younger patrons and their families can walk around different blocks of Main Street in Beulah, to both look for hidden pictures and observe the businesses there. Another way is through a series of local author events, which will each be hosted at different businesses around Beulah throughout the program. For the youngest residents of Beulah, special story hours will be held at the Knife River Care Center, the fire hall, and Riverside park.

“I’m hoping that these different events that I have planned as well will help inspire community involvement and awareness and appreciation for knife river care center, and the firefighters and police officers…” Mann said. “And… I’m having [guest authors] speak at a different… small business, so it brings some awareness or maybe new customers, some appreciation to those small businesses too… So kind of that community “all together now” in the theme. Not just bees, but all of it, everything. Friendship and community.”

Further ideas for sharing kindness and coming together as a community will be included in program materials.

“There’s a thing called the summer slide. You know, kids in school now in May and by the time it starts back up in August they’ve kind of regressed in some of those reading and math skills,” Mann shared. “It’s a nationwide issue and we’re trying to, first and foremost, get the kids to read and keep up with those literacy skills… The STEM kit prizes that we give away every week help with the math skills and science and technology, so that’s a goal that we have.”

Each STEM kit includes the materials necessary for a small craft project or science experiment, and can be won by turning in completed reading sheets each week.

Other events on their calendar include a magician on June 7th, beekeepers from Center on June 23rd, and a traveling theater company from Oregon, visiting on July 25th. Each event will be free and family-friendly, and the program will end with the library’s traditional “movie in the park” event on July 31st.

“Then as far as adults, teens who maybe aren’t big readers, it’s good to be active in your community, and to support, not only the small businesses by going to these events we have going on, but to support your local library,” Mann shared. “We have a lot more to offer than just the books on the shelves and I think a lot of people don’t realize that.”

Some of what the library offers includes wi-fi, computer and printer access, movies, audio books, craft nights and other events. They hope to start circulating games and puzzles in the future.

Information on summer reading program events, book recommendations, and other supporting materials will be given to participants in a packet as soon as they sign up. Reading challenges will be available for every age group, including toddlers, youth in grades 1 through 6, teens in grades 7 through 12, and adults. While younger participants will be encouraged to spend a certain amount of time reading each week, teens and adults will be given bingo sheets, with different reading, library and kindness related tasks on each square.

Participants of all ages can win prizes throughout the summer, and win tickets for a grand prize raffle at the end by reading, attending events, and learning new things.

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