By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
‘Unearth a Story’
Summer reading programs to return across the county
Members of the Pittsburg Public Library perform a puppet show centered around “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles during last year’s story time at the park event, a part of the library’s summer reading program. - photo by Aaron Pyle

PITTSBURG, Kan. — As the school year ends, libraries across the Crawford County area are encouraging children, teens, and adults to “unearth a story” as part of the annual Summer Reading Programs starting June 1.

The goal of the annual summer event is to help participants of all ages “foster a lifelong love” of reading while combatting what is known as the “summer slide,” a decline in academic skills during summer break. In fact, according to Dartmouth Children’s Health, on average, students can lose up to one to three months of learning progress through the summer slide, particularly in reading and math.

Looking to wipe out the summer slide, libraries in Pittsburg, Girard, Frontenac, and Arma are offering the Summer Reading Program over the next two months.

Pittsburg

For the Pittsburg Public Library, the first day to begin counting books for the 2026 Summer Reading Program is Tuesday, May 26, with programs beginning on Monday, June 1.

As part of its yearly program, the Pittsburg Public Library plans to hold its “Summer Story Time” from June 1 through July 22. In June, the story time event is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Mondays at the library while the Tuesday and Wednesday story time events take place at Lincoln Park beginning at 10 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the story time at the park will be moved to the library.

Then in July, as the weather begins to warm up, all story time events are to be held in the air-conditioned Pittsburg Public Library, keeping the same time of 6 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Story Time event is free and open to kids and their families and features puppet shows, skits, and, of course, books.

In addition to Story Time, the Pittsburg Public Library is also planning “Elementary Explorers,” at 2 p.m. every Thursday at 2 p.m. from June 4 through July 23. Elementary Explorers includes arts, crafts, and music. Elementary Explorers will not meet Thursday, June 25. The library asks that participants attend “Dinosaur Detectives” at 2 p.m. on Friday, June 26.

The popular StoneLion Puppet Theatre returns to Memorial Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.

The program finale features “Dino O’Dell” at the St. John’s Activity Center on Friday, July 24, in a “prehistoric adventure filled with music, storytelling, and dinosaurs.”

Girard

The Girard Public Library, located just west of the town square at 128 W. Prairie, is offering a wide range of events for kids as young as 5 along with those 18 and over.

The children’s programs for those 7 and under take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, 10 a.m./1:30 p.m./3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays while programs for kids between 8 and 11 are Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. As for the young adults, from 6th to 12th grade, the Girard Public Library’s activities are on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Lastly, the adults program takes place at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Activities planned for those 7 and under are “D” is for dinosaur (June 1-2), dinosaur silhouette painting (June 8-9), handprint dinosaurs (June 15-16), cardboard tube pterodactyl (June 22-23), paper plate dinosaurs (June 29-30), and dinosaur eggs (July 6-7).

Activities planned for those 8-11 are fingerprint dinosaurs (June 4), dinosaur trivia (June 11), rock painting (June 18), blooming poems and dino poems (June 25), origami (July 2), and dinolympics (July 9).

The young adult activities are 3-D paper dino masks (June 3), reduce/reuse/recyclosaurus (June 10), dino duels (June 17), dinosaur trinket dish (June 24), dinosaur trivia (July 1), and fossil fest (July 8) while the adult activities are plantesaurus craft (June 1), stone mosaics (June 9), dino gardens (June 16), keepsake coasters (June 23), dino soap bars (June 30), and air dry clay diffusers (July 7).

Concluding the Girard Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is a summer awards ceremony and palooza on July 14.

Frontenac

New to the Summer Reading Program, the Frontenac Public Library offers events throughout June and July. Dates for program events are June 11 (dino eggs-cavation), June 16 (‘Fossils in Amber’ slime), June 18 (geode cracking), June 25 (dinosaur suncatchers), July 2 (clay dinosaur eggs), July 7 (dino PJ story time), and July 9 (summer reading wrap-up and velvet dinosaur posters).

Arma

Arma Library director Shelley Corley said the library is still finalizing the details of its summer reading program. Those looking to remain updated can visit the library’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ArmaCityLibrary.

During this week’s Arma City Council meeting, however, Corley hinted at the busy schedule ahead for the Arma City Library.

“The summer activities are going to be all of June and all of July,” she said at the meeting. “This year, we are going to do it differently. We are going to have the younger kids, we are going to have the pre-teens to teens, and we are going to have adults. So we have some adults that are going to be doing some quilting. I think we are going to be pretty much busy every day of the week for eight weeks or so. Looking forward to that.”

This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews.