Gail Borden kicks off summer reading with 150th Old Towne Faire

As part of its 150th anniversary celebration, Gail Borden Library is inviting people to experience the past like never before.

On Saturday, June 8, the 150th Old Towne Faire Summer Reading Kickoff will be 1 to 5 p.m. It is free to enter.

There will be old-fashioned games, prizes, food and fun. Enjoy tasty and free treats while supplies last. Ride the carousel, visit the petting zoo and play vintage games. Win fun prizes. You also can sign up for the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge.

The performers will include a juggler/stilt walker, strolling magician, fortune tellers and more. There will be cotton candy, popcorn, hotdogs and ICEEs.

The games include a duck pond, Bozo buckets, pig race, even cow milking and more. The Faire will also offer games like penguin fish flinging, skeeball, a milk jug toss and many more.

Staff anticipates that attendance will be large so it is spread out into different areas across the backyard of the library and into the parking lot so that lines will be manageable.

And of course there will be a full-sized carousel delighting all. (Timed-entry tickets for carousel rides will be distributed upon fair entrance.)

This event honors the 150 years of library service to this community as well as its commitment to the summer reading program that started over 50 years ago. Youth who check out books that day will receive a light-up yo-yo. This historic year's reading program is titled, "I think I can, I know I can...150 Years of Reading!"

Strong advocate of summer reading, Gail Borden Library CEO Carole Medal said, "Reading propels kids to experience adventures, stories and imagination from wherever they are when they read their books. Also, worth stating, when the library started 150 years ago, readers had about 2,000 books to choose from. Now this Library District has almost 330,000 printed books and access to 3.4 million eBook and eAudio titles. The Library even offers TumbleBooks, software that reads books to listeners. So we are confident that we have a book, an access format and library professionals to connect readers with material that will fascinate them."

Entrance to the Faire will be through the main library where visitors also may enjoy the 150th exhibit that includes Storyland and the Pride, 150th library memorabilia and “Triumph of the Spirit” exhibits on the second floor.

For information, visit gailborden.info/read2024.

Thanks to the Gail Borden Public Library District Foundation for supporting the Faire, the 150th exhibit, and more during this historic year.