John Mann
The summer reading program is in full swing at the Boaz Public Library where just this past Wednesday they welcomed patrons to come try candy and other snacks from around the world.
“Oh my gosh we had a huge crowd,” Tori Miles, Teen and Adult Services leader, said. “I’m pretty sure we had close to seventy people come by and the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves. The theme of our summer program this year is “Color Our World” which is what gave us this idea.”
The different tables included items from Asian countries like China and Japan as well as Turkey, Spain and Mexico among others. Some of the foods included baklava, a layered pastry filled with chopped nuts, Korean soft milk candy and pocky, pretzel sticks that are dipped in chocolate or just seasoned in a variety of flavors.
The event was just one of many things that make up the summer program at Boaz, with larger events taking place weekly at the rec center along with book fairs, reading challenges, preschool story time and bingo.
“We have a lot going on and we’re doing a lot of fun stuff this summer,” Miles said. “Thursdays are out big program days over at the rec center and we usually have close to three hundred people show up. To me the Boaz library is one of the most magical places and we try to do a little bit of everything for everybody. Kids, teens and adults.”
Since the recent closure of the Albertville Public Library following a devastating fire the Boaz library has seen a decent amount of spillover from the area. Miles noted that just because you don’t live in Boaz you can still take advantage of their services, and anyone living within twenty miles of the library can get their own Boaz library card.
Miles also stated that with the influx of patrons from Albertville they are seeing more traffic than usual this summer.
“We’ve been especially busy now that the Albertville library is out of commission,” she said. “This has been the busiest summer we’ve had at least since I started here and I’ve been here going on three years now.”
The Boaz Public Library is located at 404 Thomas Avenue and is open every day except for Sunday. Their next big event for summer reading will be a magic show featuring Brandon Herring, which will take place at the rec center at 400 Elizabeth Street on June 26 at 10 am. More information can be found on the library’s website at cityofboaz.org/247/library.
