Posted: Jul 5, 2022, 8:50 PM
Haughton is a growing community featuring many families and retirees and the local branch of the parish library system, located at 116 West McKinley, prides itself on providing quality, educational fun.
This year's Summer Experience program began with Elizabeth Vidos, also known as "Ladychops," who presented a fun interactive percussion show with 145 attendees. She invited some children to join her and play various instruments for a hands-on experience.
Next, a program by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries was hosted at the library. Tanya Sturman came from Natchitoches with furs and skulls of Louisiana wildlife. Stars of the show were two baby alligators. Children loved seeing, holding and touching the little alligators. Attendance for the event was 186.
“Under the Sea” was the theme for the library's next show. Different stations were set up for experiments and sensory exploration. Children took part in an experiment with ice water to see how mammals with blubber can live in icy waters.
An art project and a taste test experiment were also part of the program. Although a smaller group of 31 attended, the following field trip from T.L. Rodes Elementary was attended by 31 kindergarteners.
One of last year's big hits, the Jubilee Zoo petting zoo, was held at Joe Delaney Park. There, children got to pet and feed baby goats and sheep, rabbits and a very large tortoise. Attendance for the petting zoo was 151 patrons.
Preschool Storytime is another feature at the library. Youngsters enjoyed “5 little monkeys jumping on the bed” with a parachute by Library staff member Annabel Strebeck. She reads stories to the children, sings motion songs with them and finishes the presentation with a craft.
Audra Bartholomew, Haughton Branch Manager, said the library always offers programs and classes for adults throughout the year such as book clubs, Bingo and exercise classes.
"Our grand finale for the Summer Experience will be 'Geebo the Magician.' He has been performing for us for several years now and he is always a big hit. Our show will be Wednesday, July 13 at 11a.m.," Bartholomew said.
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