Throughout June and July, Tyler Public Library will host a Reading Club Jubilee! filled with exciting free events for adults and kids to beat the heat. Movies, story hours and lively family entertainers will fill the long hot days of summer, and all activities are free and open to the public. Special events this year include a visit from Daisy “The World’s Most Famous Pig,” performing artists on Fab Fridays, a Wacky Wednesday artist educator each month, and weekly screenings of Silver Screen Movie Musicals for grown-ups.
As part of its mission to encourage people of every age to become life-long readers, the Library participates in the Texas State Library’s Summer Reading Program—this year celebrating 50 years of Texas Reading Clubs. Using time logs provided by the Library, children, teens and adults track the hours they spend reading in June and July. After logging fifteen hours, readers turn in completed time logs to the Library Information Desk and pick a free book from the “Jubilee” book cart. Children who are not reading independently may still participate by being read to for fifteen hours.
“Tyler Doll Club is working with us this year to provide a display in our exhibit cases in June and July of dolls and books that trace the themes of Texas Reading Clubs throughout the last 50 years,” says Evelyn James, director of Library events and activities.
Beginning June 9, the Library hosts on-going programs each week, including “Fables and Films”— books, stories, and a short film based on classic children’s book characters. The story hours for preschoolers are Monday through Thursday mornings from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Movie Matinees for elementary children are shown every Monday and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and showcase feature films based on great children’s literature. Movie Matinees will include films like The Black Stallion, Charlotte’s Web, and 101 Dalmatians.
Fab Fridays bring great entertainment for all ages to the Library every Friday afternoon at 1:30 and again at 3 p.m. Special guests this year include magician Gerald Edmundson, The Slick Brothers Jugglers, children’s author Willy Welch and balloon artist Mr. Jazzz.
“Two years ago we added a later ‘repeat’ session to our Fab Friday events because our crowds at these activities were so large,” says James. “We have included the later session to make the experience more fun for everyone.”
The “World’s Most Famous Pig” visits the Library on Saturday, June 21 at 10 a.m. Daisy the Pig lives in Connecticut half the year, but travels around the country during the spring and summer months encouraging kids to “pig out on reading.” Daisy’s friend Farmer Minor will share some of her favorite pig books and will help her sign up for her very own Tyler Public Library Card. The Chick-Fil-A Cow has even promised to come “kiss the pig!”.
One Wednesday each month is designated as a Wacky Wednesday with programs that will introduce children and their families to offbeat skills by artist educators. Cindy Horstman, jazz harpist, comes to the Library June 18 at 1:30 and 3 p.m. to share the magic of the harp and all things musical. On July 16 at 1:30 and 3 p.m., Valerie Oliver demonstrates her amazing skills on the yoyo.
Silver Screen Movie Musicals for adults and teens bring timeless movies from Hollywood’s golden era to the big screen with a different feature film based on great literature each Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Movies like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, West Side Story, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music are part of the summer-long Reading Club Jubilee.
Regular ongoing programs continue throughout the summer. Texas Writers’ Network, a gathering of aspiring authors, meets the second Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. ClubREAD, the Library’s adult book discussion group, gathers on the last Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. on the second floor of the Library.
All summer programs take place in Taylor Auditorium at the Tyler Public Library, 201 S. College in downtown Tyler. All events are free and open to the public. Summer Reading Club programs are made possible through the Friends of the Tyler Public Library, with additional support from Target Distribution Center-Tyler. For more information, call the Library at (903) 593-7323 or check out the Summer Reading Club Jubilee page online at www.tylerlibrary.com .