Musicians, snakes, ballet dancers and circus performers will make appearances at the St. Charles Parish Library this summer as part of the library’s 2025 Color Our World Summer Reading program.
The program, which kicks-off the first week of June, includes events that are free and open to the public, but some require registration or have age requirements.
Special guests include Drum Life, a drumming show led by musician Johannes Quilitz, in which the audience also performs; the Yuck Game Show, where volunteers compete in science-themed games and demonstrations; and the Crescent Circus, a husband-and-wife duo that join magic and circus arts in their performance.
Other special guests include River Regional Ballet, Bright Star Theater and Louisiana Snake ID.
Lauren Campo Pitz, assistant director at the library, said in addition to the special events, the library staff has developed over 100 summer events. Summer is the busiest season for the library, with over 8,151 people attending summer programs last year.
“People look to us for fun, free things to do while their kids are off of school, so we go all in with offering more events than usual and doing some extra decorating,” Pitz said. “Our staff’s creativity is off of the charts, so it’s always fun seeing how differently each branch chooses to decorate according to the theme.”
Kick-off events for the summer program will feature photo areas, scavenger hunts, games and stories. Visitors can pick up yard signs and collectible “brag tags” while supplies last, and visitors can drop-in anytime during the events.
The West Regional branch will host its kick-off event on Monday, June 2 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The East Regional library will host its kick-off event on June 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The Norco branch and the Paradis branch will host their kick-offs on June 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Hahnville branch will host its event on Tuesday, June 3 from 10 a.m. to noon, and the St. Rose Branch will host its event on Wednesday, June 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As part of the summer program, the library has set a goal of clocking 2,750,000 reading minutes. Readers who wish to participate can sign up starting Thursday, May 15 through the Beanstack Reading Tracker app, online at beanstack.com or in-person at any library branch.
Last year, 2,390 patrons signed up for the reading challenge, and 1,459 patrons read at least 360 minutes.
Readers can track their reading minutes starting June 1, and participants who read 360 minutes by July 31 will receive a completion prize and will be eligible to win a grand prize. Visitors can pick-up prizes at all library locations between June 2 and August 31.
The summer program also includes other events for adults, teens and children. Adults can attend an art lab, knitting lesson, computer classes, book clubs and a senior social hour. Events for teens include a teen lock-in with a Legend of Zelda theme, a splatter art party, Wicked sing-along, and laser tag. Children events include Storytime, splash art, and karaoke.
You can find more information about the library’s summer program online at https://www.myscpl.org/summer.
