Summer is here and one local library tied together reading with an opportunity to cool off with a delicious treat.
In celebration of the season, the Green Hills Public Library, 10331 Interlochen Drive, hosted a Summer Reading Kick-Off with Rainbow Cone on June 9 at Bennett Park, 10801 S. Roberts Road.
Along with ice cream, the event returned with games and giveaways, drawing families from across the area to honor a tradition now more than two decades old.
“We have been doing a Summer Reading Kick-Off Party for as long as I can remember — a very long time, 25 years!” said Jane Jenkins, director of the Green Hills Public Library.
The free celebration featured DJ Glenn David Productions, a balloon artist, a face painter and a rotating crowd of families playing outdoor games from the library’s Beyond Books collection.
“We use this event as a way for the community to support their library,” Jenkins said. “It celebrates the joy of reading and community fun.”
The star attraction?
The return of the Rainbow Cone truck, offering free frozen treats to anyone who registered for the library’s Summer Reading and Activity Challenge. Ice cream options included the classic Rainbow Cone stack, a vegan wildberry sorbet and a nut-free version for those with allergies.
Jenkins said the library aimed for 600 attendees at the kickoff, with hopes of hitting 800 total registrations by the end of the summer. The Gibson family was happy to once again sign up for summer reading.
“We love the summer reading challenge and today is such a fun day, especially with the ice cream,” Kim Gibson, of Hickory Hills, said.
This year’s reading theme, Level Up at Your Library, invites patrons of all ages to take part in reading and activity challenges. Those who complete them earn virtual prize tickets for a chance to win giveaways.
“We want youth and adults of all ages to sign up and participate in this challenge,” Jenkins said.
For those who couldn’t attend, the reading challenge remains open for sign-up through the Beanstack app or the library’s website.
Jenkins said the kickoff tradition has become a way to bring the neighborhood together that library staff members look forward to year after year.
What a wonderful idea!!’Great job to those who organized it! Olivia Mullins and Josie Kenderic