BY CYNTHIA J. THOMAS, Staff Writer
On Saturday, February 1, 2025, Kimberling Area Library will offer a special children’s event as part of “National Take Your Child to the Library Day.” From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., families are invited to join KAL for a special time of reading, playing, making friends and learning more about all the Library has to offer. A special highlight will be a 45-minute performance by Marty the Magician, starting at 10:30 a.m. in the Library Community Room. Marty is a popular event and party guest across the Midwest, and library audiences always enjoy his repertoire of reading- and book-themed special tricks!
Those of us who grew up before the internet can likely close our eyes and picture the excitement of “library day” in elementary school, or a summer walk to the local public library, for the adventure of pawing through the shelves for new books, or possibly continuing an enjoyable children’s series if the last borrower had returned the one we were waiting to read. Most of us did our junior high and high school research papers by becoming intimately acquainted with the slightly musty-smelling card catalog and the Dewey Decimal System.
Now that almost everything is available online, today’s children will be deprived of such fond sensory memories, unless we are intentional about cultivating them! Created in 2011 by Nadine Lipman and Caitlin Augusta to promote better reading habits and responsibility while engaging in making memories with children, Take Your Child to the Library Day is now observed the first Saturday in February annually by libraries around the nation.
While the need for card catalogs and waiting for library day have certainly changed with technology, the magic of finding adventures has not! Along with books, families can enjoy puzzles, train tables and other activities. “Each area library offers unique, fun things,” said Abbey Everett, children’s Library volunteer at KAL. “We want to make sure families know the wonderful activities available.”
KAL is open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, a plus for families whose work week doesn’t permit visiting on weekdays. Kimberling Area Library services are available to area residents within a 25-mile radius of the Library’s location, 45 Kimberling Blvd. Don’t have a card yet? No problem; library volunteers will be on hand for sign-ups at the February 1 event. Just bring an ID or piece of mail identifying your residence within the service area. Children can also get their own card, an additional way to help them feel special.
Learn more about the Library at www.kalib.org; learn more about Marty the Magician for your own special event by visiting www.MartytheMagician.com.
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