By City Manager Ken Striplin
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
As the summer approaches, the Santa Clarita Public Library offers our community the opportunity to embrace the power of reading. Staff has been hard at work creating engaging and exciting activities to promote reading, aligning with this year’s 2024 Summer Reading Program theme, “Read, Renew, Repeat.” Understanding the importance of making reading enjoyable and accessible to all age groups, the Library has curated a diverse range of activities, musical performances, crafts, special events and of course, plenty of reading opportunities – all centered around encouraging participants to be environmentally conscious.
Make sure to sign your kids up to participate in entertaining scavenger hunts, unleash their creativity with tie-dye bandana workshops and compete in Top Chef Jr to ignite their culinary passions. Teens can explore environmental themes with Enviroscape water tasting, participate in community cleanups to foster a sense of responsibility and engage in hands-on terrarium making to blend science with creativity. Meanwhile, adults can enjoy the Mushroom terrarium activities, explore the world of Mason jar hydroponics and unleash their artistic flair with wine-to-cup etching. Through these innovative activities, the Santa Clarita Public Library is not only promoting reading and upcycling, but also creating memorable experiences that inspire a lifelong love of literature for everyone in our community.
In addition to the exciting lineup of activities for all ages, the Santa Clarita Public Library is proud to offer special presentations and events across all three Branches on a weekly basis. From informative sessions about our community’s water services by SCV Water to engaging presentations on recycling services by Burrtec, attendees will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into important aspects of sustainability.
We are also pleased to announce that Lunch at the Library will be back this summer. School Day Café will provide lunches at both the Newhall and Canyon Country Branches. This program ensures that students get a healthy, well-balanced meal each day as part of the Summer Reading Program, serving children and teens 18 and under. Served Monday through Friday from 12:00-1:00 p.m., this program aims to support families and provide a nutritious meal option.
To further enrich your family’s Summer Reading Experience, the Library offers the ‘Check it OUTside’ program every Wednesday at various parks in the City, featuring outdoor activities led by Library staff.
Sign up now to participate in our Summer Reading program, simply register yourself or your family members to track your reading progress and engage in various challenges from June 10 through July 27, for the opportunity to win prizes. Find more information and sign up at SantaClaritaReads.com to begin the challenge and for the opportunity to earn prizes, win books and maybe even win the grand prize. Join our community in an effort to become life-long learners and may the reading begin!
Ken Striplin is the City Manager for the City of Santa Clarita and can be reached at kstriplin@santaclarita.gov.
