MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – When the new Middletown Public Library opened on April 12, a door to new possibilities also was opened.
One of them was an enhanced Children's Summer Reading Program.
The number of youngsters enrolled this summer – 22 preschoolers and 93 kindergartners through sixth grade – speak to its success. “Teen Read” coordinator Tamsen Nash has simultaneously conducted a teens reading program for 10 young people, with that program ending Saturday, Aug. 3.
Prior to the new library's opening, the summer reading program existed in the much smaller Gibson Library, which opened in 1930 but was outgrown by Middletown's increased population.
Then, with the new library's opening at 21256 Washington St. this spring, Marcine Crowhurst, vice president of Friends of the Middletown Library, stepped up to establish a more comprehensive program with all the bells and whistles.
Crowhurst's emergence was accompanied by an unprecedented outpouring of aid in the form of sponsorships and volunteers from the Middletown community.
“My passion in life is that every child will be a reader. So we began to organize (the reading program),” said Crowhurst. “I've had tremendous support from Fran Rand, who is the president of Friends of the Library, then I received some funding from the Lake County Library Friends.”
Gehlen Palmer, who anchored the library desk at Gibson (as he does at the new library) and doubled in running the summer reading program at Gibson, compared the then and now of the program.
“There were very few kids. Sometimes you'd get quite a few kids lined up, but then the follow-through wasn't good because I didn't have people like Marcine to come in and help,” said Palmer, who also is the program's artist.
Palmer's normal hours are 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, but he has donated his time in the morning, when the preschoolers come in, to assist with the reading program.
“It's important for kids to become readers and I understand that with younger kids their scheduling is usually that they do a story time and have a little snack and take a nap in the morning,” he explained.
Crowhurst recalled the limitations for the program at the Gibson Library.
“Over there we were never able to have a very large group. We thought we would have a children's librarian and we didn't,” said Crowhurst, who is a retired reading specialist.
Crowhurst looked like anything but retired last Tuesday as she read to a group of 16 preschoolers in the morning.
In both the morning and afternoon, she oversaw a craft day that involved youngsters in a number of hands-on activities.
Other readers have included Patty Buck, a teacher at Middletown Christian School; author Alethea Eason, a reading specialist at Minnie Cannon Elementary School; St. Helena Montessori Preschool teacher Saro Deacon; retired international educator Will Crowhurst; and past vice president of the Friends of Middletown Library and library volunteer Jacquie Sticklind.
Additionally, Luann Napier, Friends of the Library member and volunteer; Cheyene Buck, a student at George Fox University; Veronica McGee, Middletown School District Bilingual Education; and Colleen Comstock, a grandmother and preschool program volunteer, have read to the children.
Dr. Ian van Zyl of Happy Smiles Dental Practice presented a “Dental Health” program.
Reikor Deacon, teacher and guitarist at Minnie Cannon Elementary, and Saro Deacon led the children in singing activities.
For the fourth-to-sixth grade group, Barry Kraft, a Shakespearean actor no less, provided lively readings from a variety of age-group materials.
Kraft acknowledged that, as Crowhurst said, he performed in a number of plays at ultra-cultural Ashland, Oregon.
“I was in Julius Caesar four times,” he said. “Playing Caesar once, Brutus once, Cassius once and Mark Anthony once, I covered 'the big four.'”
He also read to all ages in the library at Ashland and taught kindergarten through eighth grade in San Francisco.
“He came here in May and read to adults,” said Crowhurst. “He volunteers his time and he's wonderful to have in the community. Without publicity, people don't know what they're missing.”
In addition to Palmer, Lakeport librarian Barbara Green and new county librarian Christopher Veach, said Crowhurst, were helpful in initiating the program and provided encouragement.
“My experience has been as a classroom teacher, resource specialist, reading specialist and literacy coach. So this was all new for me,” she said.
Regarding the many contributions of the Middletown community, she added, “I could see that we weren't really going to be able to organize a reading program without members. We are blessed with our new facility. Hopefully there will be funding in the future for a children's librarian.”
Sponsors of the reading program, all from Middletown, include Friends of the Lakeport Library, Friends of the Middletown Library, the Middletown Tribe, Hardester's in Middletown, The Big Chill, Hidden Valley Lake, Mt. St. Helena Brewing Co., Funtopia, Star Gardens, Jolly Cone and Happy Smiles.
The Middletown Library Children's Summer Reading Program will conclude on Thursday, July 25, with a 2 p.m. awards celebration.
The library wants to continue special reading activities throughout the rest of the year, including a teen book discussion group, author events and a teen volunteer program throughout the school year.
For more information, contact the Middletown Library at 707-987-3674.
Email John Lindblom at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .