Well, when Martha Worzel gives me a call to just “to clarify something” I sure enough left something out of my column. And I sure did. Without going into the details of our conversation if you want to donate any books to the upcoming Friends of the Sunshine Hall Library’s Book and Bake Sale, please bring your donations to the library when it is open, and the staff can receive your books. Please do not leave any books on the porch when the library is closed as that means our volunteers will have to remove them to the dump. We are not accepting DVD or CD’s so it may be better that they are donated elsewhere. The library’s website lists their hours of operation and thank you in advance for your donations.

The Sunshine Hall Free Library’s 2022 Children’s Summer Reading Program is set to begin on Saturday, July 9 through Saturday, August 6. When I was a kid growing up a summer Reading List was always handed out to us by our teacher on the last day of school. Then of course my mother, an English teacher in the Boston Public School system, handed each of her four children her age appropriate approved (meaning mandatory) reading list as well. Strangely there were never any overlapping books on each list. But the reading program at the Sunshine Library called “Oceans of Possibilities” sounds like a lot more fun with a lot of arts and crafts projects like making sea slime, painting up some jelly fish and sea turtles (not the real thing but crafted ones.) The Program is open to any child between the ages of five to ten years old and with the little ones it may be best to attend with an adult. On Saturday morning July 9 there will be find Nemo scavenger hunt at the library which has tons of cool hiding places. All during the Program every enrolled child gets a chain and a brag tag, and the kids keep track of all the books they read and bring their lists to the library and collect beads to add to their brag tag. Any kid that reads more than five books in a single week-they get to choose a prize from the “Treasure Chest.” Any super readers can earn additional prizes by completing specific reading challenges-so the more you read the more swag you get. For more information about the Program and to register go to sunshinehallfreelibrary.org. or call the library at 845-557-6258.

Speaking of impressive and accomplished kids I want to congratulate Pastor Charles Perez and his wife Jennie for having their son Jeremiah Perez receive an award from Sullivan BOCES for being recognized as the top reader for the George Ross Mackenzie Elementary School in the 2021-2022 Cross County Reading Challenge. During the challenge Jeremiah read sixty-nine books. I asked Patty Kennedy, the Director of the Sunshine Library, about him. Patty said that Jeremiah is a terrific kid and an excellent reader, and he reads exceptionally good books. She said he “keeps the staff of the library on their toes ordering all the variety of books he wants to read. We feel enormously proud of his accomplishments and send our congratulations to his family” she told me. Congratulations to all the amazing readers who took part in the reading challenge this year and way to go Jeremiah!

I want to wish my dear friend Martha Worzel a most Happy Birthday with many more to come.