TROUT RUN, Pa. — There are many amenities the Trout Run Park has to offer in Lewis Township—slides, swing sets, and now the first-ever permanent book walk in Lycoming County.
Book walks are fun, interactive ways to combine reading and physical activity. The Lycoming County Library System is hoping the book walk will bring together both book and nature lovers.
“Book walks have been popping up all over the country in an effort to get people outside more, and in our county, we applied for some grant funding from the First Community Foundation Partnership, and they loved our project and they decided to fund it,” said Amy Resh, Lycoming County Library System Assistant Administrator.
The book featured along the 1,600-foot trail is called “Otto and the Sun,” a bilingual story walk—both in English and Spanish. Books featured in the walk will be switched out every few months.
“We know that that’s so important for early childhood literacy and education, and that’s just what we’re trying to accomplish here today,” said Resh.
The First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania has been a supporter of the library for about eight decades—helping to fund the book walk with a $12,000 grant. Staff at the organization say they loved that the book walk is new, innovative, and something for the kids.
“It hit all of those boxes that we really like to look at something new, and we were absolutely pleased to go ahead and fund it for last year, and to be able to see it come to fruition this year is great,” said Betty Gilmour, First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania Director of Grant Making.
The book walk is not only for kids to enjoy, but adults as well.
“I’m excited to hear kids screaming and laughing and carrying on with the book and being able to see that their families are right along with the ride,” said Gilmour.
Another book walk is set to open in Williamsport next year.