It's mad science this summer at Mentor Library

Last year, Mentor Public Library had its biggest summer reading program ever. More than 2,000 kids, teens and adults signed up.

This year we want it to be even bigger.

We are running a trio of summer reading programs this year—one for children, teens and adults, respectively—and all three are focused on science. The children’s program is Fizz, Boom, Read; the teens’ is Spark a Reaction; and adults’ is Literary Elements.

People can start registering for summer reading on May 31 and there will be a special kickoff party for kids on Saturday, June 7, at the Read House, which is next door to the our Main Branch. COSI (the Center of Science and Industry) will bring its traveling exhibits to the party and show kids how much fun science can be.

By the way, our party is free, open to everyone and no registration is necessary.

But that's just the beginning. Mentor Library will host fun programs to get kids, teens and adults excited about science all through the summer.

We’re having Mad Science Mondays from June 16 to Aug. 4 at the Read House, which will be open to kids of all ages. The children will have the opportunity to perform hands-on experiments and make crafts using different themes every Monday.

Meanwhile, teens will have Weird Science Wednesdays throughout June that feature experiments with photography and weather. The series kicks off on June 11 when teens will test popular myths with their own version of Mythbusters.

Both teens and adults are welcome to our Monday University series, which will feature two exciting science-themed programs this summer: “Exploring Mars with NASA’s Geoffrey Landis” on June 2 and “Storm Chasers” on July 14 with Aaron Rigsby of the Ohio Storm Chasers.

Everyone who participates in the summer reading programs has a chance to win prizes—from gift cards at Toys ‘R’ Us to Lake County Captains tickets to Nook eReaders. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit your nearest branch.

The Best Summer Ever in 25 Photos

Last week I said the Mentor Public Library had its best summer ever this year and then used a bunch of statistics as my evidence.

While numbers -- like how many people signed up for our summer reading programs and how much they read -- are important, they may not be the best way to make my point.

Instead, it might be more effective to remind you of all the fun we (and, hopefully, you too) had at the library this summer.

To do that, I'm breaking out every great-aunt and uncles weapon of choice: The Summer Slideshow!

So check out some of our favorite photos from this summer and feel free to tell us what programs you enjoyed most at the library.

Aaron Eichler and Kevin Xue prove their ninja expertise by crawling through our training course.

Altered Generation helps us kick off our Rock Roots concert series which featured several bands from in and around Mentor.

Andrea Zingale guarantees her victory in our teen Minute to Win It contest by balancing seven dice on a popsicle stick.

Annaliesse Horton comes prepared for our Fairy Garden Party.

Brandon Barton loads the catapult his team built during our Excavation Station program.

Jessica and Esther show off the dream catchers they made during the August meeting of our American Girl Book Club.

Eric Brown looks like a living Jackson Pollack canvas after our Holi celebration at the Read House.

Mentor-on-the-Lake Police Chief John Gielink checks out one of the Little Free Libraries that we set up in Mentor and Mentor-on-the-Lake.

Rebecca Rodriguez knocks Ping-Pong balls from their tees with only a water gun during our End of Summer Reading Carnival. (You can see more photos from the carnival here.)

Sasori of the Red Sand celebrates after winning the Ramen-eating contest at our Anime Club meeting. By the way, our next Anime Club meeting is this Saturday. We're making candy sushi.

Katrina Prunty sticks a needle into a doll of Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau during our Tales from Beyond program.

Ruby, a milk snake, curls around Rhea Sahoo like a necklace during a visit from Outback Ray and exotic animals.

The crowd fills the Lake Branch's lawn when the Sunset Country Band performs.

Teddy bear picnic? Teddy bear picnic.

Grady Horton and Jayden Dahlhofer give their best dinosaur roars.

A special thanks to John Antalovich and Boy Scout Troop 280 who built a pergola outside of our Headlands Branch this summer.

Angelina and Rosa Palumbo relax during our Spa Day for teens.

Craig VanDemark turns a rotary phone into a piece of art during our Junk Sculpture program.

Gabriel Wagner plays with his mom's balloon animal during one of our Fun Day Mondays.

The pros from Gander Mountain explain the proper technique for fishing from a kayak.

Evie Smith wears a Batman mask during our National Ice Cream Day celebration. It's difficult to be cooler than Ice Cream but Evie pulls it off.

Morgan reads to her sister, Bridget, and therapy dog, Kody, during our Paws to Read program. Paws to Read pairs shy readers with an eager canine audience so they get more comfortable reading in public.

Bo Brauer stands beside his Library Champion sign. More than 600 kids earned signs this summer and that's awesome!

Kids let their paper airplanes fly on Amelia Earhart Day.

Some of us dressed as superheroes for the city's Fourth of July parade.

For more information on the programs and events at Mentor Public Library, visit www.mentorpl.org.

Best Summer Ever! (At least until next summer...)

We handed out a lot of Library Champion signs this year -- 241 of them to be exact.

We've had a busy summer at the Mentor Public Library.

We dug for dinosaurs, made fairy gardens, hosted a half dozen concerts (and still have two more coming,) built catapults, started installing our Little Free Libraries, tested your ninja-ness (ninja-osity?) and learned about everything from the Battle of Gettysburg to Lake Erie shipwrecks to the Cleveland mafia.

Oh, and we're still trying to get the paint out of our clothes from Holi.

And it looks like you've had a busy summer at the library too.

We had 1,440 children sign up for our Dig Into Reading program. They read (or were read to) for a whopping total of 17,364 hours this summer.

Another 434 adults and 209 teens signed up for their respective summer reading programs at the library, as well.

The adults read 2,516 books; the teens, 1,214.

And all of those numbers -- the number of participants and how much they read -- are record highs for Mentor Public Library.

As a point of comparison, kids read about 4,000 hours more than last year's 13,443 hours -- which was, until this year, the most we've ever had. That's right, kids. You topped your best ever by more than 4,000 hours!

This was, in every measurable way, the biggest summer reading program the library has ever had.

We thank you for spending your summer with us and want to invite you to our End of Summer Carnival at the Read House on Thursday, August 15.

There will be games, refreshments and kids will find out if they won any of our grand prizes (which includes, as you may recall, a $100 gift card to Toys "R" Us.)

Also, we can't talk about our summer reading program without thanking all of our generous sponsors. There's no way more than 2,000 people would sign up for summer reading without your support.

By the way, our summer reading program may be over but that doesn't mean the fun or the learning is finished. We still have a lot of cool programs and events slated for the rest of August and all throughout autumn.

You can check them out on our website.

Never stop learning!

The Party May Be Over But The Fun Has Just Started

So you missed our Summer Reading Kickoff Party last week?

That's OK. I mean, it was a lot of fun -- I especially liked the kids who sang "Who Let the Dogs Out?" -- but it's not like the fun stops just because the party ended.

You can still sign up for our summer reading programs at any of our branches. (And I mean "you" in the ustedes sense. It doesn't matter if you're a kid, teen or adult. We have a summer reading program for you -- complete with prizes.)

The library has some cool programs coming up, as well.

Outback Ray and his cadre of exotic animals helped us kick off our Fun Day Monday series earlier this week.

And now Cassady Gammons can tell everyone she has a hat made from chinchilla.

Every Monday this summer we'll have a different fun game, craft or activity on the lawn of the Read House, which is next door to Mentor Public Library's main branch.

We also have our Tiddlywinks Song & Story Time for the youngest of the young'ns every Tuesday and Wednesday morning. (The program is for kids from birth through 36 and they need a caretaker with them. No registration needed.)

Here's a video from one of our Tiddlywinks sessions, if you want a taste.

It's always that adorable, by the way.

We have programs for adults too.

Rick Porrello -- foremost expert on the Cleveland underground and author of "To Kill The Irishman" and "The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia" -- is giving a free talk on the history of the Cleveland mob on June 25. (You can register here.)

And our Summer Concert Series continues June 26 with a performance by the Hollywood Slim Band over at the Read House.

We launched our concert series earlier this month with a show by the Sunset Country Band. (Yes, we have video of that too.) They specialize in music from the 1930s through 1960s.

So check our event calendar and I bet you'll find something fun to do at the library.

And now -- for no particular reason -- here are some more photos of adorable kids holding, petting and, in a couple of cases, wearing Outback Ray's animals.

And Rhea Sahoo can say she wore a snakeskin necklace.

Ayden Gorecki receives an enormous hug from Spongebob, an albino Burmese python.

Katelyn Zitrick meets Zombie, a hairless guinea pig.

Kevin Xue pets a meter-long blue tegu named Mr. Kipling. (Mr. Kipling, by the way, is a female. However, they didn't figure that out until after they named her.)

Ain't No Party Like A Summer Reading Party Because A Summer Reading Party Don't Stop

In 11 days, more than 600 children and about 250 teens and adults have already signed up for the summer reading programs at Mentor Public Library.

But we want more. We want to get as many people as possible excited about reading. So we're throwing a soirée.

The kickoff party for our summer reading programs will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 14, in the backyard of the Read House, which is next door to the library’s main branch at 8215 Mentor Ave.

Everyone's invited to sing karaoke, take snapshots in the photo booth, play Wii and check out previews for upcoming kids’, teens’ and adults’ programs.

Many of the activities at the party serve as a preview for library programs that are happening later this summer. For example, people can make an origami craft at the party in anticipation of a special presentation by the Ohio Paper Folders on July 8.

We'll have the Wii out as an appetizer for our Wii Wednesdays, which will give teens a chance to relax and play video games at the library. (There's nothing wrong with taking a break from summer reading.)

Even the karaoke serves as a preview for the many concerts the Mentor Public Library’s Main and Mentor-on-the-Lake branches will host this summer. (For a sample of our concert series, watch this video of the Sunset Country Band performing at the main branch earlier this month.)

And -- of course -- children, teens and adults can all sign up for our summer reading programs during the party, as well.

Kids who are entering the sixth grade or lower can register for the children’s Dig Into Reading program.

For every hour children read or are read to, they will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the library’s awesome grand prizes. Plus for every five hours read, up to 15 hours, children will receive a prize. After completing five hours of reading, children will earn a free Lake County Captains baseball game ticket. Fifteen-hour readers will receive a “Library Champion Lives Here” yard sign (one sign per family.)

If a child reads 20 hours, they get a golden ticket for a chance to win a $100 Toys “R” Us gift card. Champion readers will also have the opportunity to have their picture posted on the library website.

Likewise, teens and adults can sign up for the our Beneath the Surface summer reading program.

For every book they read or library program they attend, adults and teens will receive one raffle ticket for a chance to win one of the library’s grand prizes – a Nook e-reader – or to redeem at the Mystery Box, which is filled with gift cards and coupons from local restaurants and other businesses.

(By the way, I need to pause here and thank all of our wonderful sponsors. We sincerely could not do this without you.)

Children, teens and adults can still sign up for summer reading programs at any of the Mentor Public Library’s branches up through and until, Saturday, Aug. 10. Grand prize winners will be posted at the library’s End of Summer Carnival at the Read House on Thursday, Aug. 15.

For more information on programs and events this summer at the Mentor Public Library, call (440) 255-8811 ext. 247 or visit www.mentorpl.org.

See you at the party!

... Thanks To The Generous Contribution Of Readers Like You

If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter, then you've probably heard us mention our sponsors. As in, "Sign up for our summer reading program at any of our branches; and, thanks to our sponsors, there are coupons and prizes just for registering."

We can't say enough good things about these businesses and organizations that support us. They give generously and altruistically.

Also, all of these donations were made at a local level, which tells you how awesome our community is. Simply put, Mentor Public Library is fortunate to be surrounded by businesses who care about lifelong learning and want to support their community.

They make all those cool prizes we give away during our summer readings programs possible. The toys for the kids -- them. The gift certificates for the teens and adults -- them too.

Let's be clear here, reading is its own reward; but it's nice to be able to give people something as an incentive to get started.

And, while the brevity of the average Facebook or Twitter post doesn't allow us to thank each donor individually, that is what they deserve. So, with your permission, I have some businesses and organizations I want to thank.

We had about two dozen sponsors who donated to our summer reading programs.

The Atlas Cinemas at Diamond Centre, the Chik-Fil-A at Great Lakes Mall, Great Harvest Bread, the Lake County Captains, McDonald's (specifically, Mandovi Enterprises,) the Simon Kidgets Club at Great Lakes Mall, Taco Bell, Yours Truly and All Occasions Limo all sponsored our children's summer reading program.

Fredon Corp., Gallery One Art Gallery, the Barnes & Noble in Mentor, Melt, Zoup!, Match Works Tavern, Rue21, Chop-It Salad Company, Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza, Francesca's Collection and Tryst Salon and Spa sponsored our teen and adult summer reading programs.

Last but not least -- there's no "least" in lists like this -- the volunteers of The Friends of the Mentor Public Library continue to give us phenomenal support.

Each business and organization had its own reason for giving. Lindsay Murch of Melt said her first job was at the Mentor Public Library. Jamie Buzzanca of Zoup! said his kid has always used the library.

But, regardless of their reasons, each of their donations and sponsorships have one thing in common.

We couldn't do it without them!

P.S. We never lose sight of the fact that our biggest sponsor is all of you. We're so grateful for the support you provide us; and we do our best to make sure that, whatever it is you need, you can find it at the library.