Those looking for an outdoor activity for children can now beat the heat with a shady stroll while enjoying a book on the newly installed Story Walk along Herculaneum’s walking trail.
The city of Herculaneum and the Jefferson County Library (JCL) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 11 for the new Story Walk at the William C. Haggard City Park, 776 Joachim Ave., Herculaneum.
The “Tales on the Trail” project is located on the Joachim Loop Trail near Kade’s Playground, an inclusive playground. The story begins at the trail entrance at the dog park, All Bark Village, and continues along the loop, which is a little more than a mile long.
The walk includes 18 aluminum posts, with each post displaying a page of the featured book. A plexiglass plate covers the display to protect the pages.
Following the ribbon cutting, Brenda Smith, the JCL children’s librarian, held a special community story time for families in attendance and read “A Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story” written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Brian Biggs. Smith used a stuffed otter while telling the story as a nod to JCL’s library mascot, Oliver the Otter.
Aaliyah Kindt, JCL public engagement manager, said the Story Walk provides families with a fun way to enjoy reading, walking and spending time outdoors together. She said the first book chosen for Herculaneum’s Story Walk was selected by Adam Tucker, JCL-Windsor branch manager, in partnership with Smith. Kindt said they aptly chose “Kaboom! A Volcano Erupts” as a nod to the theme of Kade’s Playground. The 32-page book was authored by Jessica Kulekjian and illustrated by Zoe Si.
Kindt said the children’s librarians from the JCL-Windsor branch will select the books for the walk on a quarterly basis, deconstructing the book and placing it in the displays. She said the season changes allow families time to experience each story and hopefully drive readers back to the park at the change of each season to experience a new tale.
The JCL has three other Story Walks at Arnold City Park, Mastodon State Park and Peace Pantry Park.
The JCL received a $7,976 grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks through its Everyone Outdoors Grant Program to create the Story Walk installation in Herculaneum.
Kindt said families also are invited, regardless of their library card status, to join a Story Time, which is held weekly at each of the JCL locations in Arnold, Cedar Hill, Northwest and Windsor. She encouraged people to reserve spots at the Story Time events because it fills up quickly.
For more information, to sign up for e-newsletters on the events page or to register for children’s literacy events and more, go to jeffcolib.org.