BonnerSprings.com

Erica Voell

The adventures of Ramona Quimby often danced through Erica Voell’s head during her summer reading programs at the library as a young girl.

Now Voell is the new youth and teen librarian at the Bonner Springs City Library, and though the Beverly Cleary-created character is the one she remembers most from her summer reading days, she said it was really the librarians who affected her the most.

“I sort of want to take the excitement the librarians I had when I was a kid and pass that on to the kids now, because I remember the librarians being really excited about summer reading,” Voell said.

Voell started her new position at the Bonner Springs library last week and has already started planning for the upcoming summer reading program.

The theme of this summer’s program is “Be Creative at Your Library,” where participants will explore various ways of being creative that don’t, as Voell said, just include “drawing or writing.” But, she said, books and reading will always be at the forefront.

“I will always have books on display that will coordinate with whatever we’re doing that week,” she said.

The Bonner Springs City Library summer reading program will also include activities such as an improvisational acting class with the Roving Imp Theater owner and artistic director John Robison and a magic show with magician Devin Henderson. Additionally there will be a separate reading program where youth and adult readers can sign up to earn prizes throughout the summer for reading as much as they can.

“I’m ready to get started. I want it to be a successful program, and I want kids who haven’t come to the library and families who haven’t visited the library to see that we offer so many things other than just books,” Voell said.

The Bonner Springs City Library will have a “Summer Reading Kick-off!” event — ventriloquist, illusionist and comedian Kevin Horner will perform — at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 6, at the Bonner Springs Community Center gym.

To register for the summer reading program, contact the Bonner Springs City Library at (913) 441-2665.

Comments