This summer has been out of this world with the many events and programs LPL has hosted as part of our Summer Reading Program, Universe of Stories. Staff and patrons alike have learned about the planets, viewed the skies through telescopes, launched rockets, looked at constellations in the STARlab planetarium, made space-themed crafts and read many books about our universe.

As of week 6, we have 199 youth patrons and 94 adult patrons signed up for the program and have given away over 4000 tickets! Patrons have been hard at work filling up their reading logs, attending programs, and earning tickets for our fantastic prize drawings. Our NASA @ My Library program has been very popular, with about 30 participants per week. This program has given our youth patrons the opportunity to use the scientific method to make observations about various space-themed subjects, such as UV radiation and rocket science, as well as flex their artistic muscles making yarn ball planets and bean-drop constellations. Our Wednesday Writers’ teens have been working diligently on writing longer stories and fine-tuning their characters, settings, and plots. During Friday Storytime, our littles have learned new space-themed songs and made handprint aliens, moon rocks, and rocket straws. In addition to our weekly programs, we have been lucky to welcome several guests to our library, including the cast of Charlotte’s Web for our kick-off party, and Solar System Ambassador Lynn Powers with a presentation on solarscopes.

If you haven’t yet taken part in any of LPL’s Summer Reading events, you still have a few days left to join the fun.  Wednesday Writers on July 10 will be all about how to plan, edit, and revise throughout the writing process. On Friday July 12, our littles will enjoy Story Time at 10:30 am, and our middles and teens will watch a presentation by the Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT) that highlights Montana-specific research about the cosmos. The SRP finale takes place on Saturday July 13 at 11 am with a free showing of “Muppets from Space” at the Judith Theater for all SRP participants.

The staff at the Lewistown Public Library would like to extend our thanks to all our patrons, presenters, donors, and volunteers who not only made this year’s Summer Reading Program possible but made it an out-of-this-world experience. Keep your eyes peeled for more awesome programs coming to LPL throughout the year. Thank you!