Paws to Read Offers Reading Contests, Free Events & Education through Aug. 2
Rock Island, IL: The tail end of summer may be approaching, but Paws to Read education events continue at the Rock Island Public Library with something for animal lovers of all stripes.
If your pup needs to learn a few new tricks, make plans to attend "Tails Up, Paws Down," a free dog obedience event at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, July 16, at the Rock Island Southwest Branch Library, 9010 Ridgewood Road. Members of the Quad City Dog Obedience Club will demonstrate some of the tricks and simple exercises owners and their dogs can learn together. The event is free and open to all ages.
To learn about the wild animals all around us, make tracks for "Native Mammals" at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, July 29 at the Main Library. The Native Mammals program features speaker Brian Ritter, director of Nahant Marsh and the Program Director for Conservation Technology through the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) and the Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC). He teaches EICC courses on site and uses Nahant preserve as an outdoor classroom. Brian has began and sustained many environmental education programs, biological research projects, and natural resource management practices. The event is free and is open to all ages.
The library also continues its popular summer series of "Read with a Dog" events. Members of QC Canine Assistance Network (QC CAN) bring certified therapy dogs into Rock Island Library locations so children can read to the dogs, providing reading practice and encouragement. Upcoming Read with a Dog events are at 10:30 am on Friday, July 18 at the Main Library, 401 19th Street, on Tuesday, July 22 at the 30/31 Branch, 3059 30th Street, and on Wednesday, July 30, at the Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road. The events are free and open to children of all ages.
Additional summer events for children include Lego Block times on Wednesday July 16 and 23, weekly storytimes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Fridays, and a free family movie event at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 25 at the Main Library. Check the library's online calendar for full details.
In July events for teens ages 12 to 18, the library will offer a Teen Crafting event at 5:00 pm on Monday, July 14, a teen scavenger hunt at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, July 22, and a Teen Iron Chef program at 6:00 pm on Thursday, July 24. All of the above events are at the Main Library, 401 19th Street.
And if you're still working on those Paws to Read reading logs and contest entries, don't pause too long. The tail end of summer reading is approaching. Remember to return them to any Rock Island Library by Saturday, Aug. 2. Prizes will be drawn after Aug. 4, with rewards including t-shirts, bags, water bottles, stuffed dog toys, lanyards, and games for children, a NOOK tablet and gift cards for teens, and an Amazon Kindle Fire HD tablet and more than $500 in gift cards for adults.
For more information about Rock Island Summer Reading, visit any Rock Island Main, 30/31 or Southwest Branches, go to www.rockislandlibrary.org call 309-732-READ (7323.) A downloadable events calendar is available on the library website at the newsletters and calendars link.
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Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.
