Randolph library Storywalks debut in Franklinville, Liberty parks

Franklinville/Seagrove library Manager Charity Neave Johnson with a Storywalk panel in Riverside Park along the Deep River in Franklinville.

ASHEBORO – Children visiting parks in Franklinville and Liberty can burnish their early literacy skills with the debut of Randolph County Public Libraries Storywalks in May and June.

“A Storywalk is a unique way to read a book,” says Franklinville/Seagrove Library Manager Charity Neave Johnson, who spearheaded the project. “Two pages of a picture book are posted 20-30 feet apart. Readers walk from one to the next, getting a snippet of the story each time. In this way reading becomes an active experience that is engaging for children and adults.”

The Franklinville installation, winding through Riverside Park along the Deep River, will kick off with a Storywalk Festival from 1-3  p.m. Saturday, May 21, with music, face-painting, activity stations and tasty treats. Magician Fish the Magish will make an appearance at 3 p.m. Each child who completes all the activities can enter to win a scooter.

Liberty will kick off its Storywalk in Paul Henry Smith Park as part of a community Juneteenth celebration from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 19, with vendors, food, music, games and prizes. 

The first book in the Franklinville Storywalk will be Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James and Kimberly Dean. In Liberty, it’s Hello Ocean by Pamela Muñoz Ryan.

New books will be placed in the Storywalk panels monthly. The panels also will include information about early literacy and resources in Randolph County. All books will be presented in bilingual English/Spanish format.

The project is a partnership between the library, the Randolph County Partnership for Children, and the towns of Franklinville and Liberty, and is funded with a $12,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant.

This grant is made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (IMLS grant number LS-250229-OLS-21).