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.

Meet our new Youth Services Librarian December 8 from 4-7!

Meet our new Youth Services Librarian, Ms. Drew Cooper! There will be a come-and-go meet and greet on Thursday, December 8, from 4-7 p.m. Come and welcome her to the community, share your thoughts and ideas about youth services here at the library, and hear her ideas and plans. Drew is eager to meet all the kids, and she has programs for all ages planned for December. 

Drew Cooper is a mom to amazing identical twin sons and two awesome daughters in law, and Mimi to the most adorable grandson. She loves reading, DIY home repairs, hiking, climbing, and overlanding. Her favorite books are historical nonfiction, mysteries, and thrillers.

Drew has a master’s in marine biology and oceanography and she loves sharks. She moved to Oklahoma less than a year ago and is a former exceptional education teacher. She was also previously a Youth Services Librarian for a library system in South Carolina.

Drew loves everything about being a Youth Services Librarian, especially developing relationships with children and their families.

Preschool Storytime

Preschool Storytime is every Wednesday at 10 am! This program is for children 5 and younger, and all children must be accompanied by a caregiver.

October 12th – Animals
October 19th – Fire Safety – Fire trucks will come to visit us at Centennial Park
October 26th – Falling leaves & Halloween – dress up in your costume – we’ll be at Centennial Park

Weekly Children’s Programs at the Library

Raise Readers Early Literacy come and go activities

Tuesdays from 10 AM – 1 PM

Visit the library and explore different Early Literacy and Sensory Centers!

The program is free, and geared towards children five and younger and their caregivers. We welcome you to come learn and play together as they explore each center.

Preschool Storytime

Every Wednesday morning 10:00 am

Preschool Storytime is for children ages 5 and younger and their caregivers.

Children must be accompanied by an adult for these programs.

For additional information, please call 405-222-6075

Look Up! Step Back in Time with The James Webb Space Telescope on Beanstack!

Explore our universe with the James Webb Space Telescope Challenge. Learn all about the science behind NASA’s newest space telescope mission, the James Webb Space Telescope. Scheduled to launch this winter, JWST is the most advanced infrared space telescope ever launched and will allow us to look deeper into time and space than ever before! Help your library win a collection of programming materials from NASA @ My Library by logging your reading and completing activities. Earn new badges all month long! NASA @ My Library is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant No. NNX16AE30A. The work was also assisted and supported by the Space Science Institute, which was the recipient of the grant. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASA or the Space Science Institute

To join this challenge and more visit https://chickashapl.beanstack.org/reader365

Chickasha Public Library FREE Summer Reading Program

Readers of all ages will dive deep during our Oceans of Possibilities summer program! 

Participating in a summer reading program helps keep students on track to learn in the next school year and can positively impact their future success. 

This year participants will set a goal and track their reading minutes to earn prizes throughout the summer. 

In June and July we will have weekly programs, a reading club, virtual access to recipes, games, awesome prize drawings, and more!

Kids of all ages will enjoy out live performances of Uncharted Waters and Mad Science. 

The Chickasha Public Library is offering programs for all ages. Mark your calendars, Registration opens May 20, and the fun will start on June 2. Dive in with us! You can register for the Summer Reading program using Beanstack or in-person at the Chickasha Public Library located at 527 W Iowa Ave. All programs are free. Participants will set a reading goal, track their minutes spent reading, and earn incentives over the summer. The tracking can all be done online or by using the Beanstack mobile app. There is also an option to track minutes using paper and sticker logs.

Summer Reading Program age groups

Early Readers Summer Reading for ages 4-6

Children Summer Reading for ages 6 – 10

Tween Summer Reading for ages 10 – 15

Youth Cooking Classes

We are excited to announce a partnership with Grady County 4-H to provide free cooking classes! Youth ages 10 to 16 can register for the cooking classes, which will be held at the Library on Tuesday afternoons in May and June. These classes are free and will last about an hour. Additional information about the classes will be sent in April to those registered.

In these beginner cooking classes, youth will learn basic cooking techniques, cooking and food safety, and how to create a recipe.

The classes are free, however space is limited, so registration is required. Call (405) 222-6075 or email library@chickasha.org to register for a program.

Through partnerships with Grady County 4-H and Oklahoma Home and Community Education (OHCE), and funds through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries with a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services the Chickasha Public Library is able to offer this free program.

Library Programs and Services for Young Children

The Chickasha Public Library now offers various early literacy services for children and their caregivers. In addition, we have Storytime Kits available for checkout and grab-and-go craft bags available for those that visit the library.

The library meeting room is transformed into a pop-up come-and-go early literacy, and sensory exploration space on Tuesdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Multiple stations will be set up for children and caregivers to explore, play, and learn together.

Storytime at the Park are Wednesdays at 9:30 am at Centennial Park, located at 801-899 7th St., Chickasha. Youth Service Librarian Courtney Mayall will present a program full of songs, stories, and activities for children five and younger and their caregivers. Weather permitting, this program will occur every Wednesday morning through the fall.

Dinovember

There is tons of dinosaur fun happening at the library this month.

  • Children can pick up a free take and make craft bag which contain supplies to make your own dinosaur puppet and more! 
  • You can join the Beanstack Dinosaur Challenge
  • Checkout the library’s Dinovember book display. 
  • What to know what dinosaur books the library has available? Visit this Dinovember Book bag link to find out!
  • When you visit the library be sure to find what book the dinosaur is reading each day and add your name to a drawing for your own dinosaur book! 
  • Be sure to follow the library on Facebook or Instagram to see what the dinosaurs have been up to at the library.