You Can Still Catch The Reading Bug

By Maryanne Rohrer, Library Associate

I remember those long glorious days of summer vacation from my childhood. It seemed summer would go on forever - the days were filled with play, reading, visiting cousins and grandparents for overnight stays, and a little work on the side. We had just enough extra fun times to keep the magic of summer vacation going strong. The Rapid City Public Library is happy to provide opportunities for some of those extra special fun times, all summer long.

Mr. Twister will be coming to Rapid City to present his Buggy Balloon Show, as part of the library’s “Catch the Reading Bug” summer reading fun. Mr. Twister will present a show at Rapid City Public Library Downtown at 10:30 am on July 7, and again at Rapid City Public Library North at 1:30 pm. Both shows will feature balloon bugs, misbehaving bookworms, and Super Flea, the world’s only Insect Dare Devil. Mr. Twister has some more tricks up his sleeve for our show as well, so be sure to attend.

Otherwise known as Bob Anderson, Mr. Twister lives in Sioux Falls with his wife and son. Can you imagine having your very own balloon twister for a dad? What fun that would be! Bob is a member of the Society of American Magicians and the World Clown Association. He started his career as a full time balloon artist in 1998 and has been busy ever since. Soon after starting his twisting career, Bob added juggling and magic tricks to his show; his website at www.mrtwister.org features all these presentations. We hope you can join us for a very entertaining program.

Throughout August, children can interact with Animals as Architects, an exhibit from HOP. HOP is the Hands-On Partnership for Science, Literature, and Art in South Dakota, and can be found online at www.hopsd.org. It is a project which gives children across the state the opportunity to participate in hands-on learning activities. Most of the Animals as Architects exhibit will be featured at the Downtown library, but the spider web exhibit will be at RCPL North. Children can create spider webs out of loops and pegs, or do a crayon rubbing of a spider web to take home.

Animals are wonderful architects, building cozy homes for themselves out of the materials at hand. Children can enjoy building their own “human” sized bird nest, checking out the inside of an African termite mound, seeing the underground structures of a prairie dog town and spinning blocks to match animals with their building materials. Enjoy a special craft program for the HOP exhibit on August 6 from 10:00–11:00 a.m. Downtown and 1:30-2:30 p.m. at North.

Be sure to take part in our “No Family Left Inside” summer adventure for families. Backpacks are available for checkout and include items such as a magnifying glass, butterfly net, bug jar, field guides to identify animals, and a night sky starwheel. These items can help you complete some of the family adventure activities such as bugs in the rain, cricket thermometer, bug hunt, look at the stars, and take a senses hike. If you’re not interested in checking out the backpack, you can still participate in the activities - stop at any service desk to pick up the activities list. Complete ten of the activities to earn a prize and be entered in the drawing for an extra special prize at the end of the summer.

For adults who love to spend summers reading, you might enjoy the Quick Picks Summer Picnics. Talk about your favorite books and enjoy a picnic lunch compliments of the Friends of the Library. The next picnics are scheduled for July 16 and August 20. Please call 394-4171 to register for the lunch by July 14 and August 18 respectively.

If you haven’t caught the reading bug yet, it is not too late to start. Enjoy a summer of reading adventures and activities with your children and entire family. For more information, visit www.rapidcitylibrary.org, or call us at 394-4171. The Rapid City Public Library has great possibilities for your summer entertainment, so stop by and enjoy.