I liked the helicopter because my dad is a paramedic.”8-year-old Cailyn from Georgia
HANCEVILLE – The Hanceville Library’s Summer Reading Program came to an end on Tuesday, and the group celebrated the last day with special treats such as ice cream cones, soft drinks, a Hanceville fire truck and Air Evac helicopter.
The children and their parents were super excited as they stood out behind the library, shading their eyes with their hands and watching the Air Evac helicopter circle the area before landing in a nearby field. Once it was down the kids swarmed around it and buzzed in wild wonder. They really studied the machine and asked lots of questions. The Hanceville fire truck was also a big hit with the kids, but somehow the helicopter was a tad more impressive.
The Summer Reading Program began on May 31 and lasted for five weeks. It started out with a program that featured Clifford the Big Red Dog and continued with equally cool visitors each week.
“Last week we had people from McWane Science Center talk to the kids. The kids got free passes so they could go visit the Center,” said Marsha Hawthorne, parent volunteer. “The week before Skip Cain the Magic Guy was here. That was fun. He was really good. Before that the kids got to do an obstacle course. They loved it! Oh and the first week of the program Hanceville Police Chief Long read Clifford the Big Red Dog books and there was a guy dressed up like Clifford. The kids had fun except there was one little girl who was scared of him.
“Story time will get started up again soon, usually when school starts back. I used to read all the stories and did the crafts. Now all the moms take turns reading and doing crafts, so I do it probably once a month during the rotation.”
The Hanceville Library’s Story Time Program will begin in the next couple of weeks. It will meet on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at the library. Most of the children that attend Story Time have become like brothers and sisters because they have been coming to the group since they were babies. It is a great batch of kids and they look forward to meeting new friends at the library each week. It was great to see them visiting each other as they ate their snacks together Tuesday afternoon.
“I liked the fire truck the best,” said one of the children.
“I like the ice cream cones the best,” another one piped in as the swung in the porch swing in the children’s area outside the library.
“I liked the helicopter because my dad is a paramedic,” said 8-year-old Cailyn from Georgia. She is in town visiting her grandmother for the summer. “We are going to go to Florida so he can train,” she smiled and licked her ice cream.
The Summer Reading Program was definitely a hit with everyone, especially the grand finale Tuesday afternoon. Even though the weather was scorching hot, it didn’t dampen the children’s excitement as they sat in the helicopter and climbed on the fire truck.
For more information about the Hanceville Library’s Story Time Program, call 256-352-0685. The library is located at 201 Commercial Street, Hanceville, AL 35077.
See a full photo gallery at http://qrne.ws/library.
