Kasson council recognizes top readers

Kasson City Council members recognized the top readers in the library’s summer reading program at last week’s council meeting.

Andrew Holz was the summer’s top reader among all those 11 and under with 182 hours. Arabella Egelston was second with 149 hours and Audra Lohrback was close behind with 141 hours.

Each of the youngsters briefly addressed the council telling them how important reading was and some of the fun things they did during the summer program.

The summer reading program had “tremendous numbers this year,” Library Director Art Tiff told the council.

In addition to the  reading program for those 11 and under, the library also had programs for teenagers and adults. 

Five-hundred-forty-three youngsters registered for the kids program, 70 for teens and 112 adults, said librarian Patricia Shaffer-Gottschalk.

Over the course of the seven-week summer program the kids read 10,688 hours, a 19.5% increase from last summer. In addition teens read 231 books and adults 511 books.

There were other activities throughout the summer, she said. Through partnerships with 10 childcare centers the library offered story times and book deliveries. Kasson librarians also provided the story times for Kasson-Mantorville Summer School Komet Academy. Through these programs the library reached 1,008 children.

Two activity clubs were also held during the summer meeting weekly, Experiment 8-1-2 and Fun and Games. These clubs had a combined attendance of 279. There were weekly contests for prizes and a recycled art contest.

Other special events that the top readers referred to in their council presentations including a bagpiper, a juggler, Minnesota Zoo-Mobile, National Eagle Center and author William Kent Krueger.

In a second library-related event at the meeting, Tiff announced he would be retiring later this year and the council accepted his resignation.

“This is what the new library has done for Kasson,” Tiff said of the library programs.

“After seven years it’s time to retire,” he said, thanking the councilmembers and the city of Kasson. “It’s time to move on.”