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Community children end library’s summer reading program with a splash

By Ainsley Hall - For the Chronicle | Aug 5, 2022

Shepherdstown Public Library summer reading program participants celebrate the completion of their reading logs at the Bubble Party on the library’s new patio Saturday. Ainsley Hall

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Public Library’s summer reading program concluded on Saturday, with a Bubble Party on the library’s new patio. Children at the event were given the opportunity to play with bubbles and make their own bubble wands out of pipe cleaners.

According to Tish Wiggs, the library’s youth director, an estimated 150 kids in total participated in the program over the summer.

This year’s summer reading program theme was “Oceans of Possibilities,” so Wiggs wanted its final event to have something to do with water. After learning that Morgan Academy had had a field day with some bubble-based activities, and also seeing a park with a permanent bubble station, Wiggs decided that holding a bubble-themed party would a fun way to fit the theme, without soaking participants.

“Between the two of those things, kids love bubbles,” Wiggs said. “And I wanted to do something with the water theme, without actually having to do sprinklers or something like that.”

Wiggs also wanted to think of a way to take advantage of the library’s new patio.

“I wanted to be able to showcase the new library space,” Wiggs said. “So, this was a great way to do that.”

With the library’s new building at 145 Higbee Lane now open, holding outdoor events like this will be one of many possible event opportunities, which wouldn’t have been possible in the library’s previous location in downtown Shepherdstown. Since the new location didn’t open to the public until the summer reading program was nearly complete, on July 23, the library is looking forward to holding many more outdoor and indoor summer events on its property for next year’s summer reading program.

“I’m going to be able to think more about programming and bringing people into this space and showing that this is a community space,” Wiggs said. “Whereas before, we had to think about how the library isn’t bounded by walls, like during COVID or when the car hit the building. We had to think about how the library is more than just a building, and it is, it is still. But now the space that we inhabit is going to be able to serve that need.”

Through the new library building, the staff will be able to help even more people and continue to encourage kids to read and celebrate reading. Wiggs noted that the new building has already attracted many new patrons to the library.