Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
Youngsters who participated in the summer reading program – On Your Mark, Get Set, Read! – at the Durbin and Linwood libraries, were treated to a reward ride on the Durbin Rocket last Thursday.
Durbin librarian Nancy Egan said 22 participants met the goal set forth by the libraries.
“For Durbin, it’s really simple,” Egan said. “All you have to do is read ten books and you get the ticket. When they’re older – I’ve got some eleven year olds who were reading things like Hunger Games – they’d do fifteen minute slots on the list.”
Along with encouraging kids to read, the program provided several outdoor activities which revolved around reading and literature.
“Anna Branduzzi from the [U.S.] Forest Service took us down the trail and we had kind of a contest where they would find things and she would ask – ‘is this a plant, is this an animal,’” Egan said. “That was really fun. Then, Kristen LeCroy from Parks and Rec came, and she did all sorts of games that had to do with books. They had to carry books on their head on the balance beam. She gave them pieces of paper with the name of authors and a book title and they had to find them.”
While the program is geared toward children six to 12, Egan said several younger children participated because their older siblings did. The younger children were able to participate by their parents or siblings reading to them.
To celebrate their reading prowess, the 22 kids and their guests – parents, guardians, family friends – boarded the Durbin Rocket and enjoyed an afternoon on the rails.
They were able to experience many types of train cars – open air passenger, regular passenger, a caboose with an angel’s perch and the hideaway caboose. The last car was left at the “end of the line” for individuals who rented the hideaway caboose for the weekend.
When the train reached its stopping point, passengers were given time to enjoy the sights and the river. Several youngsters walked, skipped and ran to the river and showed off some expert rock skipping skills.
After some fun, the train was boarded again, and returned to the Durbin Depot.