Express Yourself - At Your Library!

Today was the kickoff day for the library's Summer Reading Program - what I had originally been commissioned to help out with in the first place, as the main part of my internship. I arrived at the library at 8:30, helping Cathy set up tables, registration forms, and logistical things like that. Benton Wise also arrived unexpectedly and helped me set up the registration tent and some other things. This was really cool, because we got to catch up and tell each other how our summers had been going. I also helped Benton with room picks and other administrative Duke stuff - it's really weird thinking that it's already been a year since I was about to come as a freshman.
Anyways, the kickoff started with a performance by the Aynor Elementary steel drum band. They were really awesome and talented, performing both popular and traditional island tunes. While the performances were going on, I helped sign parents and children up for the program, giving them reading logs, registration forms, and bookmarks (the same ones I had slaved over in the previous days were finally being put to use!). This was exciting because it seemed like all the parents and children were excited not just by the creative activities we had planned, but by the essence of the program itself - reading. I saw one particular boy (one my supervisor informed me was a "regular") who took 3 or 4 of the reading log tracking sheets, because he knew he would fill them all up. This was no joke - he is the reading hour champ 2 years running. This kind of enthusiasm for learning and reading really strikes a chord with me (woah, first music metaphor!) - it's so harmonious and beautiful watching children get excited about something that is so often forced and prodded into the education system. Getting people excited about reading is a difficult task, but I think that the Marion County Library is doing an excellent job of it. I'm excited to be a part of it.
After the steel drum band, we had a sidewalk chalk drawing contest. All the kids got sidewalk chalk and their own reserved spot on the walkway to draw a picture. We gave out prizes for humor, creativity, best of show, and many more. Cathy dressed up in a French artist's outfit (complete with beret, paint brush, and palette) and judged the winners. The kids were sad to see that the kickoff had come to a close after that, but I know that we have a lot of fun activities in store for them in the future. Tomorrow I'll be in the Mullins library, supposedly working on our musical that we're planning for the end of Summer Reading.
I came back from work and we ate rotiserrie chicken and steamed vegetables, then had some thought-provoking chats about controversial issues in dating and race relations. I'm glad that our house is at a point where we can discuss these types of things with noone getting offended. I find these types of discussions very interesting, and I hope we get to have more of them in the future; we have such a wonderful collection of intellectuals here that it truly is a joy and privilege to participate in discourse with them.
---------
Below is a video of part of the Steel Drum Band's performances.