>This year’s Summer Reading Program @ the Lanesboro Public Library was extremely successful, with a lower budget, more donations, less staff time, more reading and participation, and the highest kick-off attendance ever!!! Special thanks are due to: The Friends of the Library (for funding towards Peter Bloedel’s kick-off performance), Marilyn Bunge (for final prizes), Sandra Kiel (for prizes from Zoobooks), Nancy and Dave Huisenga (for flowers), Joe and Sue Rodgers, Jake, Bucky, and David Drake (for flower watering), Lynn Bunge (for Stories and Songs), the Rose H. Bell Buy-A-Book Fund (for books), Stefanie Dickens and Amanda Davis (co-coordinators), Stela Burdt, Ben Gorman, Gail Fraser, Eliza Mitchell, and all the other great volunteers (for programs), and all other supportive community members and volunteers! Highlights were performer Peter Bloedel, flower planting in the park, and the final picnic with stories in the park where everyone got to see how much their flowers had grown this summer. Plus, one group of kids created their own story: “How Max Was Saved.”

91 kids signed up, and 41 active readers read for a total of 627.5 hours, an average of 15.3 hours per person! About 150 people attended the kick-off and 186 more participated in other programs. Winners of the final prizes were: Grand Prize – Libby Thiss (100 hours); Final Prizes – Mitchell Walbridge (40 hours), Eric Holst, Regan Howerton, Linnea Thiss, and Zaccary Wead (all 37.5 hours). Congratulations and thanks again to all for one of the best Summer Reading Programs ever!