Library opens StoryWalk project at Moreland Park

November 12, 2019 | 3:18 am

Updated November 12, 2019 | 2:13 pm

Photo by AP Imagery

UPDATE: The ribbon cutting for the Daviess County Public Library StoryWalk has been postponed due to weather. A new date for the event has not been set.


On August 15, Owensboro Health announced the recipients of their Community Health Investments Grants. Of the 37 grants awarded, the Daviess County Public Library was named for an amount of $6,850. The money awarded to the library was for a project called StoryWalks, a concept that has become popular for public libraries all over the United States over the last number of years.

StoryWalks typically consist of a series of aluminum frames set into concrete bases, which display different pages of children’s storybooks to be enjoyed while on the go. The DCPL project will be installed at Moreland Park. The project is meant to encourage literacy, creativity and physical health, saidDCPL Public Services Manager Shannon Sandefur, who believes this project will be a great draw for families with young children.

“Reading for pleasure and physical activity are combined in this awesome activity,” Sandefur said. “Both are extremely important to the community. A StoryWalk is an innovative idea that brings books out of the library to outdoor spaces in the community. It provides children with the opportunity to develop literacy skills while playing and the entire family can participate in a fun, healthy outdoor experience.”

The first story in the series of books chosen by the library staff to be featured, which will be installed and ready to be enjoyed by Tuesday, is “In the Middle of Fall” by Kevin Henkes. Patrons of the library are encouraged to send in suggestions for books to be featured in the future, as stories will be rotated every six weeks.

The StoryWalk starts on Moreland Avenue just past the tennis courts and runs alongside West 12th Street, ending in front of the shelter by the Moreland Park playground. There are 20 posts/frames along one side of the walking trail.

Construction was recently finished on the Owensboro StoryWalk, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony has been scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Sandefur and the library staff want to invite anyone in the community to come out to Moreland Park on Tuesday to celebrate the StoryWalk with them.

“The library partnered with the City of Owensboro and the Owensboro Parks & Recreation Department for this project,” Sandefur said. “The park employees took care of the installation. Amanda Rogers and her team were wonderful to work with and this project would not be possible without her.”

The idea, which the library staff stumbled across online a few months ago, was originally dreamed up by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vt., in conjunction with her local library, Kellog-Hubbard Library.

More information about the purpose of StoryWalks, as well as details about its spread across all 50 states and over 12 countries, can be found at Kellog-Hubbard Library website.

November 12, 2019 | 3:18 am

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