WORD’S OUT THAT CRYPTIDS HAVE BEEN SIGHTED AT THE WALLINGFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY!
By Roz W. LeNess (“Big Ness”) for The Unusual Times
WALLINGFORD – Summer is the busiest season for the Library, and this year staff has something extra to contend with. As summer planning got underway, the librarians began to notice strange sightings and occurrences throughout the library. Staff have reported sightings of aliens, cryptids, bats, and even a headless horseman roaming the stacks, while pirate ghosts have been spotted plundering the children’s room. Library staff have been unable to find the root cause of these experiences. When they tried to intervene, a vengeful spirit pulled all of the seeds out of the seed library, covered everything with slime, and then transformed into a shrieking banshee. Who you gonna call, Digital Navigators?
As the busy season approaches, staff have decided to accept these encounters as part of their new normal and will delay finding a solution until the fall. They have gone so far as to theme their annual summer program “Eerie Encounters” and have created a logo highlighting some of the encounters they have had.
The Eerie Encounters summer program will consist of multiple programs that target each age group. All programs will run from July 1st-August 17th. Details on each program may be found below.
Kids
Registration will begin on May 28th. When registering, you will be asked to create a username and password to access your summer reading account. Please ask at the children’s desk if you have any questions or have trouble setting up your account.
For students entering grades K-6:
- To complete the program and earn a FREE book from the Wallingford Public Library’s Book Seller, you need to read 600 minutes this summer.
- If you finish, keep going! By reading 900 minutes, you will get a token for our prize vending machine. By reading 1200 minutes before the program officially ends on August 17th, you will earn a chance to win one of our Grand Prizes!
- For added fun, beginning Monday, July 1st, there will be weekly missions to complete at the library. Complete all of the missions to get another token for the prize vending machine.
For babies, toddlers, and preschoolers:
- Spend time reading as a family! For every 10 books your family reads together, you will earn a sea creature to add to our ocean, and once you get to 60 books read, you will be entered into a drawing for a gift basket. You may read the same book more than once- we know that’s how many preschoolers enjoy their favorite books.
- For added fun, for every 10 books you read (up to 60 books), stop by the library for a special sea scavenger hunt. Search around the tree for all of the hidden pictures and earn a sticker for finding them all!
Note: Children entering Kindergarten can participate in either program.
Teens & Students Entering Grades 6-12
Participation Guidelines:
- The teen Eerie Encounters program is open to anyone entering grades 6-12 in the fall
- Create a program account: walpublib.org/SummerLog or download the ReadSquared app
- Log your reading and activities on your program account from July 1st-August 17th
Program Details:
This year, we’re tracking minutes read. Every 60 minutes read gives you a prize entry. Completing the program requires you to read 720 minutes and will earn you a bonus entry, giving you a total of 13 possible reading entries to complete the program. Additionally, anyone who completes the program will get an exclusive Eerie Encounters keychain or bookmark made in the Collaboratory! You will also receive a coupon for a free small ice cream cone courtesy of Wallingford Dairy Queen.
If you finish early, keep going! By reading 1200 minutes before the program officially ends on August 17th, you will be entered into the Grand Prize drawing- a $100 Amazon Gift Card. You will continue to accrue prize entries for each additional hour you read.
You can read physical books, audiobooks, e-books, manga, graphic novels, and even fan fiction! It all counts.
For added fun, there will be 13 missions to complete that will earn extra prize entries or a prize itself. Complete 1 or all 13! Missions include genre reading challenges, creativity challenges, and more!
Questions? Contact Kayleigh, Head of Teen Services, at ksprague@walingfordlibrary.org.
Makers in Grades 6-12 & Adults
Are you creative? If so, Some Assembly Required is for you! Some Assembly Required is the Collaboratory’s annual summer maker contest, with great prizes and cool categories for all sorts of artists, makers, and crafters. We are very excited to announce that the contest is now open to middle schoolers, as well as high schoolers and adults! Categories include:
- Art
- Best Cryptid
- Best Looking Food
- B&W Photography
- Color Photography
- DIY
- Textile Arts
- Upcycling
- Videography
Submissions will be made by email and will be collected July 1st through July 27th. Voting will take place August 1st-17th, and winners will be announced on August 19th. The best of each category gets a $25 gift card to the Wallingford business of their choice, and the best overall entry gets an additional $100 gift card! For more info, check out the Some Assembly Required page.
Adults
This summer, WPL invites all adults (ages 18+) to embark on Eerie Encounters, a series of challenges designed to enliven the mind and feed the soul! You’ll keep track of your progress in your Summer Scrapbook, which you will be able to either download from our website or pick up at the library’s main desk. No online registration is required!
There are five series of challenges: Events, Photos, Sustainability, Reading, and Enrichment. Each series includes four challenges worth ten points each. Every time you earn ten points, you will get a ticket into our summer prize drawing. Every time you earn 50 points, you will receive some of our limited-edition spooky surprise swag!
Complete as many challenges as you want. You can earn a total of 25 tickets and the entire set of our Eerie Encounters collectibles. The four lucky winners of the summer prize drawing will each receive a $50 gift card to the Wallingford business of their choice!
Eerie Encounters will end on August 17th. Please either turn in your scrapbook at our main desk or mail it to the library by Saturday, August 24th. We will announce the results of the prize drawing on Friday, August 30th and the four winners will be contacted individually. Have fun, scare yourself silly, and feel free to reach out to Rachel Taylor, our Head of Adult Programming, at rtaylor@wallingfordlibrary.org with any questions. Let the games begin!