Members of the Clallam County Literacy Council are hosting reading contests and parties in Port Angeles and Sequim on Saturday to celebrate Family Literacy Day.
Parties are scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon at the Port Angeles library, 2210 S. Peabody St., and the Sequim library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
The events, held in the children’s sections of the libraries, are free and open to the public.
Organizers of the event say everyone is welcome. Each child will receive a free age-appropriate book to take home.
In addition, a variety of prizes will be awarded to reward children for reading.
“We want to encourage children to experience the joy and the fun of reading,” said Julie Speelman, Peninsula Daily News’ Newspapers in Education coordinator and a member of the Clallam County Literacy Council.
“We let them take home their very own book and let them discover the adventures they can find in a book.”
Pioneer representatives
During the event, organizers will be dressed as explorers throughout history to promote the theme of Family Literacy Day — “Reading is a Voyage of Discovery.”
The reading contest is for children in Clallam County, from preschool through eighth grade.
Children can either read a book or have one read to them, then fill out an entry form and put the entry into a box at their school or at any branch of the North Olympic Library System.
Forms are available at libraries and in participating schools.
Forms will be drawn Saturday during the reading parties for various “explorer-related” prizes, including bicycles with helmets, camping gear, compasses, movies and books.
Children from the West End are also invited to attend this weekend’s reading parties.
As part of the literacy campaign, Peninsula Daily News and the weekly Sequim Gazette published a special supplement featuring literacy.
The PDN’s section appeared Tuesday.
Family Literacy Day events are sponsored by the United Way of Clallam County.
The Clallam County Literacy Council represents school districts, businesses, agencies and service clubs in Clallam County.
The organizations include the Port Angeles School District, First Step Family Support Center, Port Angeles Kiwanis Club, United Way of Clallam County, Kids Elementary Years for Success, Serenity House of Clallam County, Clallam AmeriCorps, Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette, Sequim School District, Peninsula College, Clallam County jail, North Olympic Library System, First Book, Special Needs Advocacy Program and Parenting Matters Foundation.
The council’s objective is to coordinate and promote literacy activities in Clallam County.
The council distributes more than 5,000 books each year.
For more information, call the United Way office at 360-457-3011 or refer to the council’s Web site at www.clallamcountyliteracycouncil.com.