This year the library isn’t just hosting months of summer themed events for children. A new adult summer series is on its way and will feature a variety of fun and informative events.
Summers at the library have never been more engaging. Unlike prior years, adults are finally joining in on the festivities as Bruton Memorial Library unfolds two large summer kick-off events at the beginning of June.
Angel House, library services associate, said it is time adults take part in the summer celebration. She has created an adult summer series that will feature everything from professional chef tutorials and concerts to craft nights and lecture series.
“We’ve always had some adult programs going on over the summer, but I wanted to do it a little different this year and offer more,” House said. “Kids have their fun things going on during the summer and that’s fantastic, it’s wonderful, but grownups want to have fun, too.”
Technically the first event for the adults is a rock painting class on June 7, two days before the official kickoff event. The class has always had a big turnout and all of the materials are free. On June 9, the real fun begins with an after-hours party held exclusively in the program’s honor.
The library will close at 5 p.m. and staff will set up for the event, which takes place at 6 p.m. when the doors will be reopened to the public. There will be live music from Fifth Gear Band, who will be playing classic hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Across the hall will be an art gallery featuring local artist Jason Shiver.
Like the annual kids’ program, the adult summer series will feature a friendly competition all summer long to get the community engaged with their library. During the events and throughout the week at the library, adults can pick up punch cards to join the summer reading challenge. For every event they attend and book they read, their card will be punched.
At the end of the summer, the person with the most cards will win a new guitar, donated by Dark Horse Music Store.
The children’s summer kickoff is June 2 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Atlantic Coast Theatre for Youth is performing a rock musical of “Little Red Riding Hood,” there are activities and refreshments throughout the party.
During the event, children can also sign up for the Summer Reading Club, which works similar to the adult program. The more the students read, the higher chance they have to win a grand prize at the end of the summer.
The majority of the programs offered by Bruton are completely free. They vary from instructional lectures on finances or gardening to more leisurely events like game nights and concerts. Children have everything from movie and game nights to relaxing yoga sessions. It’s a service House said for some reason is rarely taken advantage of by the majority of the community.
Even when the programs do have an attendance fee, it is always far below what competitors charge for a similar service. One of the new events this summer is an instructional painting program. Tickets are $5, which doesn’t even fully cover the cost of supplies. House said many other local programs cost anywhere from $40 to $50 for similar services. There is also a Tea-esta fundraiser, an adult tea party featuring award winning romance author M. Garnet, in July. Tickets are $10 per person.
“When I’m looking around for things for me to do I’m looking around at other libraries first,” House said. “Libraries, in general, are free and I enjoy being able to use my free time to learn new skills.”
