Be Creative @ Your Library...Take the Summer Reading Challenge

"Be Creative @ Your Library" this summer and explore the world of music, dance, art, books and more. The Racine Public Library's 2009 Summer Reading Challenge is open to people of all ages, youth and adults alike, with programs and special events, prize drawings, story hours, and more.

Registration for the Summer Reading Challenge begins on June 18, 2009. Registration forms will be available at the Racine Public Library's Youth Services Dept, 75 Seventh St., at the Mobile Library, and on the Library's website at racinelibrary.info. Participants of all ages should complete and submit a registration form to receive a reading record and other challenge information. After reading the required number of items or minutes for the appropriate age group, reading records may be turned in for a free gift. All readers who turn in a reading record will be eligible for the library's grand prize drawing. Bonus activities are also available for those participants who would like to earn an extra chance in the grand prize drawing.

To celebrate the "Be Creative @ Your Library" 2009 Summer Reading Challenge, the library is pleased to host another season of professional entertainers in the Storywagon Series. The following performances will be featured on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. in June and July:

• Thursday, June 18: Morris, The Magic Man!
  With over 30 years of experience, Magic Man Morris Taylor is guaranteed to thrill and engage children of all ages with his combination of audience participation, puppetry and magic. This is our Summer Reading Challenge kickoff day! Enjoy this exciting show and register your family for the challenge.
  
  
• Thursday, June 25: Naturalist/Humorist David Stokes
  Always a popular addition to the library's summer Storywagon series, David Stokes brings his live animals, craziness, laughs, and other animal antics to his highly entertaining environmental education program.
  
  
• Thursday, July : The Muses
  If Celtic music brings a tap to your feet and a clap to your hands, then The Muses are the band for you. With vigor, strength and passion, Tanya Brody and Matthew Gurnsey play a plethora of exotic instruments ranging from bohdran & concertina to harp & hammered dulcimer, among others.
  
  
• Thursday, July 16: Stuart Stotts
  Singer, songwriter and consummate storyteller Stuart Stotts has graced several Racine Public Library programs in the past and has become an audience favorite. His popular performances encompass foot stompin' music, interactive storytelling, and plenty of laughs all around.
  
  
• Thursday, July 23: The Rambling Sailors
  The library is excited to host this first appearance by the Rambling Sailors. This duo act is dedicated to performing traditional and modern sea shanties and ballads of the sea, delivered with their original passion, and better instruments. Their music is characterized by powerful vocals, strong harmonies, and a mood range from the sweet to the epic. We're sure this is going to be a must-see performance.

All performances begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Services Dept. No registration is necessary and all programs are free. Seating is available on a first come/first serve basis. Sign language interpreters are available for these performances with advance notice. Contact the library at 262.636.9245 for more information. The Storywagon Series is sponsored by Lakeshores Library System and supported in part with LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant funds.