Neill Public Library and Summer Fun Go Hand-in-Hand

Let’s breathe a collective sigh….school is over and the first official day of summer is just around the corner! We made it through the doldrums of fall, winter and – unexpectedly, the cold and dreary days of spring. With childlike wonder I’ve watched nature bloom and blossom in seeming defiance of the weather. And I’ve sympathized with my son when, in the middle of a hard downpour, he exclaimed, “Mommy, I’m worried about the flowers.” I, like many of you, am ready to put the heavy jacket back in the closet and break out the shorts, flip flops and sun hat in celebration of some of summer’s best times.

To start our summer celebrating, my family and I will register for this year’s Summer Reading Program at Neill Public Library! Children’s Librarian Kathleen Ahern and Children’s Assistant Ruthie Fisher have spent almost eleven months working tirelessly to bring this community event to fruition. The rest of your Pullman library team are geared up and ready to help make this year’s event the best ever! Registration for all ages birth through teen starts June 10 and participants can enter weekly drawings for a chance to win free books and prizes from the Friends of Neill Public Library.

An exciting lineup of talented Summer Reading Program performers is scheduled every Friday beginning June 18 with Cap’n ARRR and his hilarious Pirate Show. Other performances include magician Jeff Evans (June 25), Regional Theatre of the Palouse (July 9), Louie Foxx and his Oceans of Fun (July 16) and Noise Guy Charlie Williams (July 23). There will be special story-times with guest readers Mayor Johnson and Pullman police officers and fire fighters. On July 15, beloved children’s book characters Toot and Puddle will visit the library’s story-time at Reaney Park. And award-winning children’s songwriter and singer Victor Johnson will once again close out this year’s program with a grand musical finale at Reaney Park on July 29. Funding for this flagship library program is provided through the generosity of the Friends of Neill Public Library and sponsored, in part, by local merchants.

In addition to these fantastic Summer Reading events, summertime brings new adventures – for my husband and me. Neither one of us is a gardener or landscaper, but thanks to the wonderful non-fiction collections at Neill Public Library, we are going to try to be. For several weeks now, we’ve been filling our baskets with books like “Landscape Plants for the Inland Northwest,” “Perfect Small Gardens,” “Borders: creating and maintaining the perfect border,” and the Better Home and Gardens Creative Ideas series “Garden Ideas and Outdoor Living.” We’ve become obsessive about sketching out landscape idea after idea onto graphing paper. Planned dinners went by the wayside. Who knew children could not only subsist on peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches for an extended period of time, but be happy doing so? I am pleased to report that thanks to our Pullman library, the planning is done and we are now ready to literally break ground!

So, join me in shouting a collective, resounding “hurray” for the arrival of better weather and all the good times it brings. Get out the flip flops, grab your library card and head to Neill Public Library for summertime fun! We’ll help you make the most of your summer days.

by Joanna Bailey

Temporary Library Services Manager

Published in Daily News, 6-12-10