LORTON, VIRGINIA — Fairfax Library Foundation held the first of its two inaugural Children’s Summer Reading Festivals on Saturday, June 10, at Lorton Library to wide acclaim. The weather was picture-perfect as more than 1,200 attendees enjoyed free activities such as games and crafts, live storybook characters, a bounce house, a mini zoo, snacks, facepainting, a live deejay, a caricature artist, balloon sculptor, and a photobooth.
The event was specifically designed to encourage young readers to continue their school-year enthusiasm for reading straight into summer vacation. 240 children signed up for Fairfax County Public Library’s annual summer reading program during the festival as a result. More than 600 festival tote bags were distributed with sponsor materials inside.
Community partners, such as Fairfax County Police Department, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Lorton Community Action Center, and others were also on hand to engage with attendees. Food trucks from Sabor de La Llajta, Chardeats, and Hershey’s Famous Ice Cream were standing by to satisfy the inevitable hungry tummies.
The festival was made possible with the generous support of 13 sponsors, including Bookmark- and Storytime-Level Sponsors Cox Communications, Friends of Pohick Regional Library, the Friends of the Burke Centre Library, Friends of Richard Byrd Library, Friends of the Kingstowne Library, Friends of the Centreville Regional Library, and the Friends of the City of Fairfax Regional Library. More than two dozen library staff, teen volunteers, and Foundation board members and staff ensured everything went smoothly, even with the huge turnout.
A second Children’s Summer Reading Festival is scheduled for Sunday, August 13, from noon to 3pm at Chantilly Regional Library. Additional details can be found here.
Since 1994, the Fairfax Library Foundation has existed solely with the mission to enhance the programs and services of the Fairfax County Public Library, the largest public library system in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable and educational organization, the Foundation provides supplementary support to the community by providing access to information, technology, innovations, civic engagement and entertainment, and by offering literacy and educational opportunities.
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