Summer at Randolph County libraries offers ‘A Universe of Stories’

ASHEBORO – Explore “A Universe of Stories” as the Randolph County Public Library’s Summer Reading Initiative brings children over 170 performances, storytimes, hands-on activities, STEM projects and more, and fun activities for teens and adults as well.

The initiative runs during June and July (an in some cases into August) at the Archdale, Asheboro, Franklinville, Liberty, Ramseur, Randleman and Seagrove libraries. The library’s Extension Services department also takes Summer Reading activities to children in day cares and other locations, and the new Mobile Library will be out and about.

Kickoff events begin as early as Thursday, June 6, in Randleman, and Friday, June 7, in Liberty.

Red Herring Puppets' "Three Little Pigs"

The Red Herring Puppets will offer an “Adventure in Folklore” at all libraries in June, in which amazingly crafted puppets of all varieties will perform folk tales from around the globe. Performances will take place as follows:

•        Archdale, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26;
•        Asheboro, 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 26;
•        Franklinville, 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, at the Franklinville Elementary School gym, 162 Pine St.;
•        Liberty, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27;
•        Ramseur, 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 25, at the Ramseur Municipal Building, 724 Liberty St.;
•        Randleman, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 27;
•        Seagrove, 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 25.

In July, storyteller Yasu Ishida’s “Story Circus” will visit all the libraries with storytelling through balloon haiku, origami and magic.

In between, find Steve Somer’s Space Trek featuring magic, music and stories at Archdale and Randleman; Bright Star Touring Theatre’s play “Jack’s Adventure in Space” at Asheboro and Randleman; and illusionist Caleb Sigmon’s “LIVE! Library Tour” at Asheboro, Randleman and Liberty. The ever popular “Snakes Alive” with Ron Cromer returns to the Randleman library, and Down to Earth Aerials with aerialist Amanda Finch defies gravity in Liberty.

Other special events include The Amazing Spin Man at Asheboro (see him spin 11 basketballs simultaneously), “Planet Pancake” at the Franklinville Diner in which participants can decorate their pancakes to look like their favorite planet, and two Morehead Planetarium events at the Archdale library. NASA ambassadors will appear at the Asheboro, Franklinville and Seagrove libraries.

A full schedule of events can be found at www.randolphlibrary.org/summer or at your local library. For further information, call 336-318-6804 or contact your local library.

During the summer, children can sign up to track minutes or books read in return for reading rewards. Last year, local children age 0 thru 12^th grade and their families checked out over 50,000 books and reported reading for more than 870,000 minutes.

The Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Randolph County Public Library with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s part of a nation effort to keep children reading during the break from school; research shows that kids who read during the summer do better in school the next year.