Try this riddle: what begins with burgers and ends with foam?  

If you guessed the Wellman-Scofield Public Library’s summer reading program, you must have read the headline.

You would also be correct: The library’s summer reading program kicked off this year with pork burgers and hotdogs on June 8, and ends with a foam zone on July 27.  The activities bookend two months of activities and reading incentives for kids, teens, and adults.  

Being temporarily housed in a smaller storefront on 8th Avenue while construction is underway at the main building hasn’t stopped the library from developing strong summer programming this year.  There are some workarounds, such as reserving space at other locations, including the Parkside YMCA, North Park, and Goodwin Dining Center, but otherwise summer activities will be as big as ever.

Or even bigger.  Children’s Librarian Megan Harris and Library Director Carrie Geno told The News that the teen and adult programs this year will see some enhancements.    

Teens and adults have always been invited to fill out reading logs, but this year teens will have their own activities on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. at Goodwin Dining.  

“We have some crafts, and they’re going to do blackout poetry, smash books,” Geno said, mentioning just a few of the activities planned by Assistant Director Nicole Castillo.  

Adults can pick up a game board at the library to fill out as they read; at the end of the summer, they return the board to be entered into a drawing for rewards (the more they read, the more entries they earn).  Thanks to generous local businesses, the rewards are worth reading for: gift cards from Tuscan Moon, Kalona Chocolates, Kalona Coffeehouse, Chipotle, and more are all on the table.

About 150 kids participate in the reading program each summer, and this year they are in for some special treats, including performances by a magician, juggler, and Duke Otherwise; chalking, tie dying, and painting are also activities on the calendar.  Every Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m. will be Story Time for preschoolers as well.

All ages were invited to the kickoff event on June 8, which took place at noon at Wellman’s North Park.  A free lunch of hot dogs was served; Wellman’s own somewhat mysterious chalk artist, Ethan Allen, worked with participants to create a big chalk mural; and free swag was distributed.

Those participating in the summer reading program received “their reading logs, Hills Bank donates free t-shirts for everyone that signs up, and then Hills also donated money to give everybody a free book to start.  Then we have these cute little book bags they can color and use for the summer to carry their stuff in,” Harris said.

The “most anticipated program from the kids’ perspective” is the Foam Zone party on July 27 that will conclude the summer reading program. 

“I went to talk to the kids at school two or three weeks ago and told them about the program, and that was the one thing they were PUMPED about,” Harris said.  “It’s a big foam cannon that comes from a center in Des Moines, Absolute Science, and they’re going to set up fencing, and they just fill it with this foam.”

“That will be our kind of last hurrah, celebrating everyone that read, and came, and just have fun,” she said.

Of course, all of these activities have a greater purpose: “As a library, our biggest focus is always just getting kids to read,” Harris said.  “There are all these statistics about the summer slide: when kids leave school for the summer, statistically, they kind of slide back in their reading.  Just reading throughout the summer can prevent that from happening.”

The reading logs, activities, and prizes, give kids “some incentive to keep reading over the summer.”

“On top of that,” Harris said, “we want to, as a community, provide free, fun, safe activities for kids throughout the summer” that parents don’t have to worry about paying for or traveling to.  “We just want to be able to provide free, accessible programs for kids in this community.”

You need not be Wellman residents to participate, Harris notes; folks from the surrounding area are welcome as well.  

The librarians hoped to have participants signed up by May 31 for this year’s summer reading program, but if you haven’t yet, check with the library, where you can also pick up reading logs and reading program calendars.  A summer for fun awaits.

More information is also available online at facebook.com/wellmanscofield.