Nearly 1,800 Park Ridge residents spent the summer buried in books, and the Park Ridge Public Library is throwing them a party for it.
The library's Summer Reading Sendoff takes over the lawn at 20 South Prospect Ave. on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. The free event caps a program that drew close to 800 adult readers and roughly 1,000 kids and teens this year, according to a library announcement published Aug. 12.
No registration is required. But the first 200 people who check in at 10 a.m. and show they participated in Summer Reading will walk away with a free ice cream ticket from Triple Scoop'd, the Park Ridge shop on Devon Avenue, plus an entry to win a gift card to one of eight local restaurants. The Friends of the Park Ridge Library donated the prizes.
Ice cream will also be available for purchase until noon for anyone who doesn't snag a free ticket.
Live music, bubbles and dino games
Children's performer Gincy opens the entertainment at 10 a.m. with a concert-style show called "It's Cool to Be Kind," featuring original songs influenced by pop, rock and R&B. Bubble artist Jason Kullom takes the stage at 10:45 a.m. with giant bubbles, bubble clouds and comedy. The Hitmaker closes out the morning with classic and contemporary hits starting at 11 a.m.
Kids can also burn off energy with outdoor Dino Games on the lawn, keeping with the program's dinosaur theme. The library's Summer Reading mascot, Benny the Brontosaurus, has been visiting local businesses each week since June.
How to claim your ice cream
Participants can verify their reading at the check-in booth by showing a paper Summer Reading log or having staff look up their Beanstack account. Adults needed to finish four books across four categories by Aug. 22 to complete the challenge; kids and teens earned prize drawing tickets for every day they read.
"The Summer Reading Sendoff is one of our favorite days of the year," Library Director Joanna Bertucci said in the announcement. "It's a chance for Library users of all ages to celebrate all the reading they do, but also a reminder to keep the habit up as we head into a new school year and our Fall routines."
Bertucci has led the library since 2021.
Coming up
- Saturday, Aug. 22: Summer Reading Sendoff, Park Ridge Public Library lawn, 10 a.m.–noon (free, no registration required)
- Thursday, Aug. 27: Back to School Bash, Prospect Park
