The grade school children recorded the time they spent reading from June 1st-June 30th in the Reader Zone app. Prizes were given to the students that meet their reading goal during the week of July 6th. The top readers included: Celia Carpenter with 1,786 minutes; Jaiden Lehn with 830 minutes, Luis Garcia with 806 minutes, and Miranda Garcia with 677 minutes. Readers meeting the 500 minute goal included: Bergan Arens, Eli Lehn, Weston Arens, Parker Fairhead, Vivian Kinzie, Allie Dinklage, and Oakley Davis. Brayden Arens reached the half way mark with 265 minutes. The library staff is proud of all our readers and hope that they continue to read the rest of the summer.

The Ainsworth Library held several patriotic events to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States. In the U.S. Flag Finders Hunt, people were asked to find as many flags around town as they could see and record their location on the finders sheet. The top flag finders winners include Shari Luther with 195 flags and Amy Salzman with 107 flags. Each winner received a soft plush blanket with glow in the dark stars. All other entries had a total of 50-53 flags found.

The Library also held a Patriotic Coloring Contest for PreK to Sixth grade children to join in the red, white, and blue fun. The winner in the PreK to First grade group was Preston Winters. The winner in the Second to Sixth grade group was Allie Dinklage. Each child won a US flag beach towel and a soft stuffed eagle.

Coming soon will be the 250th celebration with the Great American Wild Build-a-Best Friend. The Ainsworth Public Library will be offering you a choice of stuffing a bison or an eagle, both iconic symbols of our nation’s history and prairie heritage. Each participant will get to create their own bison/eagle keepsake. The kids will stuff their new friend, make a wish on a special star tucked inside, choose a name for their friend, and complete an official birth certificate to take home. There will be a small fee of $10 for each stuff friend. Each child must have an adult to assist them. Please stop by the library to reserve your friend now. We have a limited amount so don’t wait too long. The library has a total of 50 friends, 25 eagles and 25 bison. Our build-an-animal event will happen on July 21st starting at 4 p.m. As an added interest, the Park Ranger from the Niobrara National Scenic River will be doing a Bison Program from 3-4 p.m. If you need more information, please contact the library on this special event. This is one summer memory your child won’t want to miss!

As part of the 35th anniversary of the Niobrara National Scenic River, an art show was held in May featuring pieces pertaining to the river. The winning artwork is on the move, traveling along the river corridor all summer long. The show was displayed at the Smith Falls State Park Visitor Center in June. It will be at the Ainsworth Public Library the whole month of July. Make sure to stop by and view the wonderful pieces of art! After that, the display will be at the Valentine Public Library in August and the Rock County Public Library in September. A huge thank you to the Friends of the Niobrara and the National Park Foundation for supporting this community celebration of art, nature, and the river we love.