Registrations
We had excellent participation again this summer, reaching new highs in registrations and reading slips turned in for each age. 747 people registered for the summer program this year, beating our previous high set last year of 634. In 2018 we had 166 people register for summer, so we've grown a lot in the past five years!
Reading Numbers
This year, kids read (or were read to) for 4,370 hours (previous high: 4,179), teens read 196,400 pages (previous high: 140,000 pages), and adults read 899 books (previous high: 773 books). We handed out over 400 prize books to readers who met their reading goal and in the end we pulled 125 final prize winners.
Events
We always strive to book fun events that educate or entertain the community. This year we brought in tried-and-true performers and also made new discoveries. Our climbing wall was a hit once again, bringing in over 250 people and signing up over 70 people for the summer program in four hours! Our animal programs were really popular. Zoozort, David Stokes, Coal Black Exotics, and the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center all brought in big crowds at Habermann Park. Kids saw creatures such as a fennec fox, chameleon, armadillo, brown skunk, falcon, owl, bald eagle, and many more. They touched frogs and tortoise shells and chinchillas and had snakes draped around their necks. It's easy to understand why these programs are so popular. Chad Lewis returned this summer to a packed house eager to learn about Wisconsin's Bizarre History. David Landau returned to play a lively music set in Habermann and we showed popular movies like Puss in Boots 2 and The Super Mario Brothers Movie in our library theater. Andrea and John led art workshops where community members made original art that they got to take home with them. We also welcomed new performers. Haddie McLean and Absolute Science both presented fun science shows at the library. Mark Hayward dazzled a crowd with his yo-yo skills. Tom Pease delighted with his original songs, and James the Magician presented a fantastic magic show. Emily took over the Writer's Workshop, which met every Friday this summer. The books were all finished on time and they've been sent for binding. Emily also started a new reading club for tweens called Tween Reads. That group enjoyed meeting so much that they asked us to continue into the school year, which we plan to do.
The Friends Put on the Run/Walk
The Friends put on the 34th Annual Run/Walk, which had the best turnout in years. The Friends are so crucial to what we do as a library, particularly when it comes to our summer events. We couldn't offer all that we do without the commitment of dedicated volunteers, who organize, promote, and run fundraisers like the Run/Walk. So thank you to all of them and thank you to all of you!