Event
Summer Reading Program at the Chickasha Public Library
Join Chickasha Public Library’s annual Summer Reading Program from May 22 to July 31. Summer Reading is a program to encourage children to read over the summer, bridge the gap between school years, and develop a love of reading. Children and teens can participate by logging reading minutes, earning prizes, and enjoying summer friendship, love, and togetherness programs and activities, complementing this year’s theme, “All Together Now.” All programs will be at the Chickasha Public Library, located at 527 Iowa, Chickasha. For more information, call the Library at 405-222-6075.
Wee Ones (ages 5 and under) will complete 480 reading minutes and have weekly programs on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. for ages 0-3 and 2:00 p.m. for ages 4-5. Kiddos’ Korner (ages 6-11, although all ages are welcome) will complete 960 reading minutes and have programs on Thursdays at 2 p.m. Teen Time (ages 12-17) will complete 1080 reading minutes and have programs on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Adults will also be able to participate in online Summer Reading challenges through Beanstack.
All participants can pre-register for the program at https://chickashapl.beanstack.com/reader365. Everyone who joins the Summer Reading Program is encouraged to participate digitally through Beanstack, either on the web or via the app. Participants can track the books they have read, log reading minutes, earn badges and prizes, and discover great books. Parents or caregivers can sign up and quickly log both their own and their children’s reading under one primary account. Participants also have the option to track their minutes using a reading log provided by the library. Reading logs can be picked up any time after May 22 at the Chickasha Public Library, located at 527 W. Iowa Ave., Chickasha.
Younger children aged 0-5 will be encouraged to participate in the Wee Ones Wednesday Storytime programs at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. This program engages young learners in fun pre-literacy activities, stories, and group play. Children aged 6-11 can participate in the Kiddos’ Korner program on Thursdays at 2 p.m. All ages are welcome to the Thursday programs, but it is recommended for ages 6-11. Kiddos’ Korner will include enhanced learning activities and hands on programming that will focus on reading. Teens aged 12-17 can participate in programs during Teen Time Tuesdays, which will be at 2 p.m. Teen Time will focus on reading as a way to encourage teens to interact with people outside of their peer group while providing informational programs that support lifelong learning needs, provide knowledge about, or inspire interest in a variety of subjects.
All youth who complete the Summer Reading challenge by reading the age-appropriate minutes will have a book of their choosing painted on the outside of the library, plus an entry into a final drawing for additional prizes. Further prizes will be awarded throughout the summer at different levels for designated minutes reached, such as a Level 1 prize for Wee Ones earned for 60 minutes completed reading. Prizes will also be awarded for community service, kindness, and program participation. Our youth community service project this summer is the Chickasha Animal Shelter. We will be taking up donations to help our local furry friends from June 1-July 31. All youth who donate supplies at the library will receive a community service badge and an additional entry into the final grand prize drawings.
“All Together Now” is a perfect slogan to bring us all together! No matter our age, socio-economic status, political affiliation, or location, we can all find a book to fit our interests and maybe make some friends in the process. Centered around kindness, friendship, unity, and community togetherness, this year’s theme comes with endless opportunities to share the library. In-person indoor and outdoor activities will be offered all summer long and monthly take-and-make crafts will be available for all ages. Program content changes weekly and take and makes will be available while supplies last.
Research from the American Library Association indicates that summer reading helps children and teens retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer, provides a haven for community readers, and develops reading enthusiasm. Additionally, adult participation encourages caregivers to play a strong role in their child’s literacy development by reading aloud with their child and modeling good reading behavior. Kids read more and enjoy reading more when they can choose what they read. Benefits to readers include encouragement for reading to become a lifelong habit, reluctant readers can be drawn in by the activities, reading over the summer helps children keep their skills up, and the program can generate interest in the library and books. For more information about the benefits of Summer Reading, visit the American Library Association’s information about Summer Reading benefits: https://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading/benefits.
As poet and author Maya Angelou noted, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” Chickasha Public Library joins libraries across the nation to encourage adults, youth, and families to read over the summer.
The Summer Reading Program is free and sponsored by the Chickasha Public Library, the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library, the City of Chickasha, and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For more information about Summer Reading, call the Chickasha Public Library at 405-222-6075 or check our website under the Youth Services tab at CPL Summer Reading Program. To sign up for Summer Reading, visit the Chickasha Public Library or sign up online on Beanstack. You can also connect with the Chickasha Public Library on Facebook and Instagram.
Books Come Alive and Local Author Festival will be held Saturday, March 25!
Submitted by the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library
The Friends of the Library and Chickasha Public Library invite the community to stop by the Library on Sat., March 25, 2023 between 2pm and 4pm for two very special attractions! The Library is located at 527 Iowa Ave., Chickasha, OK.
Visitors will enjoy being entertained by Books Come Alive presenters as they each create their own setting, costume as a character, and present a 3-5 minute scene from a book they have selected to share. Participating as presenters are Mischelle Blunt who has chosen “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett; Dr. Christy Clift will portray a scene from “Harry Potter” by JK Rowling; and the Library’s children’s director Drew Cooper has selected “Beauty and the Beast” as her book. Also presenting are Rebecca Cravens portraying a scene from “Jane Austen”; Sydny Dockery has chosen the book “Percy Jackson” by Rick Riordan; Dr. Jeanne Mather selected Mike Artell’s “Petite Rouge”; and Rick Phillips will be having fun with “Star Wars”. Well-known radio host George Plummer will be presenting a special book, as well!
While at the Library, stop by the meeting room and visit with the authors who are participating in the “Local Author Festival”. All the authors will set up at tables and have books for sale. This year the authors include Karen Knauss Bailey Alicia Dean, Tamrie Foxtail, Dr. Todd Fuller, Kenny “Sad Pawpaw” Harmon (NOTE: enter a drawing at his table to win a copy of his book!), Dr. Crag Hill, Callie Hutton, Anna Kittrell, Brian McNatt, Gloria Koehn Morse, Kathy Shaull and Liz Tyner.
NOTE: The Library will close at noon on Sat., March 25, to set up for these two exciting events! For additional information about these activities and others at the Library, call 405.222.6075.
Exchange Food for Overdue Fines this December at the Chickasha Public Library
December is the Chickasha Public Library’s 21st annual Food for Fines month, when overdue library fines may be paid with a donation of non-perishable food.
“The donations will be given to the Chickasha Emergency Food Pantry,” said Lillie Huckaby, Library Director. “Even if you do not owe a fine, please come to the Library and make a donation. Together, we can bring in more food than ever before to help our neighbors this holiday season.”
According to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, 6,900 people in Grady County live with hunger, including 2,550 children who are food insecure. The donations from the Food for Fines food drive will be given to the Chickasha Emergency Food Pantry, located at the First Presbyterian Church.
The value of the donated food does not have to equal the amount of the fine; any donation covers any fine.
“In addition to much-needed food, many overdue books also return home to the library during Food for Fines, usually about 100 of them,” Huckaby said. “Not having to repurchase popular titles means the Library can purchase more new books. This also gives patrons who have accrued fines a way to make a fresh start and be able to check out books again. ” If a book has been lost, the overdue fine will be waived, however, the replacement cost of the book must be paid.
The Food for Fines food drive will run through December 31st. For more details, call the Chickasha Public Library at 222-6075.
National Library Week!
National Library Week is April 4-10, 2021, and this year’s theme is “Welcome to Your Library!” According to the American Library Association, this theme “promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services.” The Chickasha Public Library provides access to a variety of information, services, resources, and programs, both physical and virtual, to everyone in the community. During National Library Week, the Chickasha Public Library will be celebrating its resources, users, staff, volunteers, support groups, and the many ways in which it reflects and serves this community.
There are many ways to celebrate and promote libraries. You can show your library love by participating in the #MyLibraryIs social media campaign during National Library Week for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Monday, April 5th The State of America’s Libraries 2021 Special Report: COVID-19 will be released. Tuesday, April 6th is National Library Workers Day, Wednesday, April 7th is National Library Outreach Day, think bookmobile among other programs not held within a library building, and Thursday, April 8th is Take Action for Libraries Day. The American Library Association encourages people to support the Build America’s Libraries Act, which will “fund upgrades to the nation’s library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers.”
The American Library Association lists several different activities in which people can support libraries during National Library Week. These include showing appreciation to library staff in person and on social media on National Library Workers Day, highlighting the library’s community contributions and involvement, communicating how libraries provide essential resources, services, and information to their communities, and advocating for library funding and support within local, state, and federal governments. You can highlight libraries on social media using the #NationalLibraryWeek, and #LibrariesTransform hashtags, and by following the American Library Association and I Love Libraries.
American Library Association has also created a word search and coloring pages for National Library Week. Click on each link below to view and print each one.
National Library Week Word Search Activity Page (PDF)
National Library Week Coloring Page (PDF)
National Library Week Coloring Page in Spanish (PDF)
Finally, a great way to celebrate National Library Week is to visit the Chickasha Public Library, where you can also find several books about public libraries and their continuing impact on individuals and communities. If you are looking for a history of public libraries, Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne Wiegand (027.473 Wiegand) discusses the value and relevance of public libraries as a whole throughout the history of this country. Closer to home, A History of the Chickasha Public Library, 1905-2020: The First 115 Years by library staff member Michelle Skinner (027.476 Skinner) is about the history of this specific library (and a copy can also be purchased for $10 at the library).
More perspectives of libraries written by staff from other libraries include Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (636.80092 Myron) and Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert (BIOGRAPHY Borchert), a humorous memoir about some of the more unusual and entertaining aspects of working in a public library.
Come to the Chickasha Public Library and discover the many resources it has to offer during National Library Week! We hope to see you there!
Health Literacy Lunch & Learn Series
The Chickasha Public Library is happy to announce that we have partnered with the Grady County Memorial Hospital to bring you a series of Health Literacy family orientated Lunch and Learn programs. Dietitian Cindy Wilcox will present a variety of topics to help your family thrive. Each month’s theme will focus on a different solution for today’s busy families.
The Health Literacy Lunch and Learns to kick off April 23, 2019, at 1:00 P.M. with “Budgeting and Meals for Two.”
Ms. Wilcox will give students tools and ideas for creating meal plans and budgets for smaller households. Lunch will be provided, or you are welcome to bring your own. Lunch and Learns will be held in the Library’s large meeting room located at 527 W Iowa Ave, space is limited, and registration is required. Please call the Library at 222-6075 to register.
Planned future topics include, “Healthy Snacks,” “Introducing your Baby to New Foods,” “Packing a Healthy Lunch.” We also are planning a program for teens to show how they can prepare healthy snacks.
“This project is funded in part through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries with a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.”
Friends of the Library to host spring $1 Used Book Sale
The Friends of the Chickasha Public Library will be hosting its spring ‘$1 Used Book Sale’ fundraiser from Thurs. through Sun., April 11-14, 2019. The Sale will be held in the community meeting room at the Library, located at 527 Iowa Avenue, Chickasha, OK. The ‘$1 Used Book Sale’ will be open to the community on Fri., April 12, from 10am-6pm; Sat., April 13, from 10am-2pm; and Sun., April 14, from 1pm-4pm.
REMINDER to all current members of the Friends of the Library … as a bonus for being a member, YOU may browse and purchase EARLY at the Preview Book Sale on Thurs., April 11, from 5pm-8pm.
NOT A MEMBER?
Annual membership fees are $5 for Students and College, $5 for Seniors (ages 62+), $10 Individual, $25 Family and for $50 or more you can become a Patron! Thank you, in advance, for your membership and support of the Friends of the Library! When you purchase a Friends’ 2019-2020 membership at the door on Thurs. evening, April 11, you will be able to shop at the Preview Sale that evening, as well as at other Book Sales in the 2019-2020 year.
‘Bargain Day’
is Sat., April 13, with books on sale at half-price or $3 a bag and the Friends provide the bags. The books on Sun., April 14, are an even bigger ‘Bargain’ … they are ‘FREE’.
Among the items for sale are Children, Teen, and Adult Fiction, Reference Materials, Non-Fiction Books as well as some DVDs, Book CDs and Magazines.
Donations of books and other items for the ‘$1 Used Book Sale’ are accepted throughout the year and may be brought to the main desk at the Chickasha Public Library. Please contact the Library at 222-6075 if you can help set-up and/or work the ‘$1 Used Book Sale’. Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase new books and materials for the Library.
Membership fees and financial donations may be brought to the Library or mailed to Friends of the Library, P.O. Box 265, Chickasha, OK 73023. Include your name, mailing address, phone number and email address, if available.
7th Annual Chocolate Celebration is Tues., Feb. 12
7th Annual Chocolate Celebration is Tues., Feb. 12
It’s almost ‘Chocolate Celebration’ time … so plan now to buy your ticket and join in the FUN!
The 7th annual ‘Chocolate Celebration’ fundraiser, sponsored by the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library, is Tues., Feb. 12, 2019 from 5:00-7:00 pm in the Epworth Church Life Center, 4th and Iowa in Chickasha. This event is open to the community. Enter through the double doors by the north parking lot.
At least 18 tables of tasty chocolate treats will be ready and waiting for those looking forward to taking home a special gift box (or two or three or more!) of delicious and beautiful chocolate desserts.
Each of the table sponsors will provide approximately 200 individual servings of a variety of chocolate treats.
Tickets are on sale now! Don’t miss out on your gift box of six individual chocolate dessert items selected personally by YOU!
Tickets are $6 and are available from the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library Board Members, the Table Sponsors and at the Chickasha Public Library. Depending on advance sales, a few tickets may be available at the door.
Also, those attending will find tables filled with delicious ‘bake sale’ items, featuring whole cakes, pies, cupcakes, candy, and plates of cookies, brownies, and bars. These food items will be individually priced.
Remember to stop by the Library on Sat., Feb. 2, from 10am-1pm to purchase your ticket and visit the bake sale – this will get you ‘ready’ for the BIG EVENT.
Table sponsors providing desserts for the ‘Chocolate Celebration’ include the AAUW, Altrusa Club of Chickasha, Bank of Commerce, CAS/CART (Chickasha Animal Rescue Transport), Chickasha Area Arts Council (CAAC), EPIC Charter Schools, First National Bank & Trust Company, Girl Scout Troup 3404,, Johnson’s Wreckers & Salvage, Library Tai Chi/Storytime, Lucile/Blue Bonnet OHCE, Pam Ratliff & Friends, P.E.O. Chapter FV, Shollie’s Sweets, Standley’s Systems, State Representative David Perryman, Sweet Creations and The Salvation Army.
The Friends of the Library are sincerely grateful for this year’s 34 Corporate Sponsors for their faithful and generous support of the Chocolate Celebration with financial gifts. Gold Level Sponsors are Arvest Bank, Ben Milam Heat & Air, Bob Lowe, Inc., Century 21/Mosley Agency, Chickasha Rotary Club, First National Bank & Trust, Kiwanis, LaForge Properties, Lifeline Home Health & Hospice, Rick Johnston – State Farm, Standley’s Systems, Steagall Oil, and The Herbal Choice.
Silver Level Sponsors include Angel, Johnston & Blasingame, Charles Allen Ford, Chickasha Optimists, DeHart Heat & Air, Gina & Tyler Lowe, Grand Avenue Dental Studio, Grisham Construction, HSI Sensing, Ivy, Ratliff & Chasteen, PC, Joe Bob Bail Bonds, Johnston & Associates, McCalla, Brown & Patel, Mark Mettry, DDS, Mike Day – State Farm, P.E.O. Chapter CR, P.E.O. Chapter DV, Pollution Control, Corp., Richard’s Printing, Ross Seed & Grain, Stephens Oil, and Teague Body Shop.
Proceeds from the 7th annual Chocolate Celebration 2019 will be used to help purchase electric doors for the main entrance of the Chickasha Public Library. These will provide much easier access for everyone visiting the Library.
Please contact the Library at 405-222-6075 for questions.
Library History Search
2020 will mark the 115th year of the Chickasha Public Library. A lot has happened in that time and we want to celebrate! We are preparing a written history of the Library complete with a scrapbook of photos and news articles. If you have any pictures or news articles about the Library that you would like to share, please bring them in and talk to Michelle or Lillie. Also, if you have a memory you would like to share about the Library write it down and get it to us or if you prefer, we’ll write it for you please make an appointment with Michelle or Lillie. If you were on the Library Board or were employed at the Library, please contact us by calling 405-222-6075. We would like to make sure that our information is correct, we would like to know names and dates and photos to go with them would be great! Let’s enjoy the process. For additional information, please call the Library at 405-222-6075.
2018 into 2019 Past and Future Youth Programs
There were many exciting programs at the Chickasha Public Library during 2018.
Stuart Meltzer, Library Board member, and retired USAO professor read to children during our Spring Reading Program and also during our summer Storytime with Grandpa program.
Chickasha Public Library has a special visitor every December Elf on the Shelf visits the Library to read.
Annual SUMMER READING Program
There was a symphony of fun at the Library during Summer Reading 2018. If you missed all the fun this past summer, there is another chance this coming June and July! In 2018, youth from all over Grady County signed up for the Summer Reading program. Also, the YMCA brought children to participate in the program once a week. The 2018 Summer Reading program was fantastic During the program we read books that tied into our “Libraries Rock” theme and children were able to create instruments of their own. There is more to the Summer Reading program than an hour every week of fun and games; the participants also keep track of the minutes they spend reading at home. In 2018 the participants read over 104,266 minutes in June and July. Children who spend time reading over the summer have a better chance of retaining all the skills from the previous school year. Many people and organizations make the Summer Reading program possible. We would like to say thank you to the organizations that provide funding and incentives, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, the Oklahoman Newspapers in Education, Sonic America’s Drive-In, Corp, Pizza Hut, Water-Zoo Indoor Waterpark in Clinton, OK., and the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library. The Library would also like to thank performers Jammin’ Randy and Magical Michael, all of our volunteers, and the participants for making this year’s Summer Reading program one of the best yet.
Mark your calendars because May 30th will be the Library’s all-day Summer Reading sign-up day. On June 6th, we will blast off to explore a “Universe of Stories” during the 2019 Summer Reading Program. More details to come as May gets closer.
Mad Hatter & White Rabbit of Books Come Alive 2018
BOOKS COME ALIVE
Over eighty people attended our second annual Books Come Alive and Local Authors Festival event. Local volunteers chose some fantastic books, and some great characters wandered the stacks. Count Olaf attempted to keep his group of orphans in line, while Max and the Wild Things had roaring contests with all the kids, and a creepy woods took over the adult stacks, where participants witnessed a scene from the Watchers. Tune in next fall to see all the places we will go.
Count Olaf of Books Come Alive 2018
Professor Trelawney of Books Come Alive 2018
Some NEW Youth Programs for 2019 are:
Baby & You Storytime is every Thursday morning during the school year from 9:30 am – 10:30 am.
The program doesn’t begin until 9:45 and lasts 15 – 20 minutes, which leaves plenty of time for you to read, play with your baby, and talk with other parents.
This program is for babies ages 0-18 months and their caregivers.
For more information, email Courtney, Youth Services Librarian at courtney.mayall@chickasha.org, or contact us on Facebook.
Beyond the Shelf Youth Library Club is a weekly program on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 for youth ages 10 – 15.
The activities during this program will vary. Scifi-Monster Mania is the theme for February.
There will be a board game demo of King of Tokyo. Who will be the last monster standing? There will also be crafts and plenty of monster book discussions.
The last Wednesday of the month, we will show a film MST3K style.
For more information, email Courtney, Youth Services Librarian at courtney.mayall@chickasha.org or contact us on Facebook.
Elf on the Shelf at the Library
The Elf is back!
This December at the Chickasha Public Library there will be an elf reading his way through the Children’s section of the library. Children are invited to come each day December 1st through the 21st to find the elf and the book he is reading and add their name to the drawing for a chance to take the elf home.
The Library is hosting some fun activities to go along with the elf on the shelf this year.
Please join us on December 7, 2018, from 4:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. for special craft time. We will be re-using Christmas cards to make a variety of crafts. This event is come and go, and the event is open to all ages — children 8 and younger need to be accompanied by a caregiver.
On December 13th there will be a special afternoon storytime at 1:30 P.M. for preschool ages children and their caregivers.
The elf will meet his new best friend on December 21st at 4:00 P.M. The winning name will be drawn at a party for all ages. There will be a story, crafts, and games. This event is all ages — children 8 and younger need to be accompanied by a caregiver.
All of these events will be held in the Library meeting room, located at 527 W Iowa Ave. For additional information check out the Library’s Facebook page or call the Library at 405-222-6075.