APL offers reading program for parents of preschoolers
BY ANITA STIEFEL
EDITOR@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN — The Auburn Public Library’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program helps keep parents of preschoolers stay on track with regular reading.
Parents can use the Beanstack Tracker app to track reading to their newborn, infant, toddler and/or preschooler. Any book counts, and books may be repeated. Attending an APL story time counts as books read, and attendance can be logged for an activity badge. Those who complete the program will receive a prize from the library.
Participating is simple:
- Register at auburnpl.beanstack.org or download the Beanstack Tracker app to any smartphone or tablet.
- Read 1,000 books before your child starts kindergarten and earn prizes along the way.
- Log your reading via Beanstack to complete the challenge.
For more information, visit the website www.auburnalabama.org/library or call (334) 501-3296.
OPL’s August calendar offers programs for young and old
BY ANITA STIEFEL
EDITOR@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — The Opelika Public Library has planned a month chock-full of programs and activities for all ages during August.
Olympics Behind the Scenes
On Tuesday, Aug. 6, OPL will host an exclusive opportunity to hear from local Olympian Tyler McGill as he shares his personal experiences — the rigorous training regimens, the camaraderie among athletes and the exhilarating moments that define the Olympic Games.
McGill, a former competition swimmer who is a butterfly specialist, has been a member of two world champion relay teams and was a member of Team USA at the 2012 Olympic Games, at which he won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay. McGill is currently the head swim coach for the city of Opelika.
Back to School Root Beer Floats
Also on Aug. 6 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the pavilion, OPL will offer the chance to enjoy one more summer afternoon before school starts at a Back-to-School Root Beer Floats event, providing ice cream and sodas for children to make their own floats, along with yard games, sidewalk chalk and bubbles.
Tasty Tales
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, from 4:15 to 5 p.m., students in grades K-5 are invited to an event that is part story time, part cooking class and all fun. Join in reading a food-focused book and then sample the food from the story. Participants will get to take home a recipe and tips for recreating the dish at home. Please note: Food allergies cannot be accommodated. Food tasting items will be posted with advance notice.
Dolores Hydock: Fools for Love
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, from 2 to 3 p.m., OPL will host master storyteller Dolores Hydock, who will present her program, Fools for Love: Fads and Fancies of Regency England.
This program brings to life the world of the late 1700s and early 1800s — the Regency Period in England — a time of strange fads, sketchy medicine and hair-raising shenanigans among the fashionable set, led by George, Prince of Wales and the future King George IV of England, who was the center of fashionable and cultural life during that time. Letters, diary excerpts, photographs and paintings are used to explore the customs, habits and tokens of love and remembrance that were part of this stylish and passionate time in English and American history.
Dolores Hydock is an actress and storyteller whose presentations highlight the “story” behind a variety of topics from history, art and literature. Her work has been featured at conferences, festivals and special events throughout the U.S., including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. She has served as the teller-in-residence at Jonesborough’s International Storytelling Center, and her 12 CDs of original stories have all received awards for excellence from Storytelling World magazine. She has collaborated with the Birmingham Museum of Art, and her Christmas story special airs annually on NPR affiliate WBHM in Birmingham.
Check out the full August schedule of library programming at www.opelika-al.gov/917/Opelika-Public-Library.
