From Shannon Lyaski, Conservation Education program coordinator, Genesee County Park & Forest:

A new experience awaits visitors at the Richmond Memorial Library and at DeWitt Recreation Area in Batavia!

The Richmond Memorial Library is excited to provide one Storywalk for the library grounds and two Storywalks for the DeWitt Recreation Area through the NIOGA Library System.

"Storywalks" are books that have been enlarged and placed onto lawn signs to be used outdoors. They encourage young readers to read for fun while getting active and enjoying a walk!

Storywalks also help children keep reading during the summer and provide a fun alternative to storytime readings at local libraries, which are difficult to conduct while social distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Storywalks set up along the quarter-mile walking track at DeWitt Recreation Area currently feature “Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur” by Cirocco Dunlap and “A Chair for My Mother” by Vera B. Williams.

The Storywalk at the Richmond Memorial Library currently features “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold.

Each Storywalk sign at DeWitt Recreation Area has pages of one book mounted on one side, and pages of the other book mounted on the other side. Readers can walk clockwise around the walking track and read one story, then reverse direction and read the other story as they walk around counterclockwise.

These two titles will be on loan at DeWitt Recreation Area through the NIOGA Library System starting today, Aug.14th, through Monday, Sept. 6th.

After Labor Day weekend, the stories will change every two weeks and highlight seasonal events, happenings in nature, and more. An information box located on the title page sign for each story provides an author summary, a list of similar titles, and fun activities for kids.

We are excited about this opportunity for outdoor exercise and great reading for kids! Special thanks to the Richmond Memorial Library and the NIOGA Library System for making this new recreational experience possible.

For more information visit our website, or contact Shannon Lyaski at Shannon.Lyaski@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.