BENNETTSVILLE — Marian Wright Edelman Day dawned bright and sunny in the city of Bennettsville, befitting of a day kicking off the library’s Summer Reading Program. Starting promptly at 10 a.m. but extending slightly after its scheduled cut off time of 2 p.m. due to the popularity of the annual event, the Marian Wright Edelman Public Library (MWEPL) Summer Reading Celebration proved to be another huge success for literacy.
Friends of the Library representatives Peggy Burroughs and Deborah Cunningham were on hand to help get children registered for the summer reading program as well as selling books whose proceeds go towards funding the library.
“We must have had a couple hundred sign up,” Cunningham said, excitedly holding up an impressive stack of completed paperwork.
Burroughs explained that interested participants could purchase a bag already filled with a couple free books and other goodies for $5 that they could then take over to the books for sale and stuff full.
“The bookstore here at the library is open every Tuesday and the first Saturday of the month,” Burroughs said.
Sonya Caulder and Nicole Hendrix both work for the library and said they were impressed with turnout for the event.
“It’s been really busy and we have seen a lot of people coming out,” Caulder said.
Hendrix agreed, and echoing the earlier words of Cunningham, she added that the event wasn’t quite half over and had already resulted in significant signups for the library’s summer reading program.
“It’s a wonderful program for kids to keep up with their vocabulary and comprehension skills over the summer,” Caulder said.
According to all four ladies, the summer reading program will feature a local guest every Tuesday and on Wednesday, the library will host an out-of-town guest. Local guests will include local officials, public figures, and first responders like Bennettsville Police Chief Sammy Crosland.
“There are some great prizes for the child who reads the most from each age group to win this year,” Hendrix said, listing Sony headphones and magnetized building toys, just to name a few.
This year’s summer reading program will end the same way as past years, with a grand finale celebration at its close, scheduled this year for July 23.
In addition to library volunteers and employees, many vendors and residents stopped by to take advantage of all the fun, vendors, food, and water slides Saturday’s event had to offer.
Sentell Abrams, who stopped by to try out some lemonade from vendor Spiritual Lemonade, said he didn’t even know the event was going on when he decided to check it out.
“I’m new to the area, I’ve only been here about three years, and I didn’t even know this was going on today. I was just taking a drive around the city, and it looked fun, so I wanted to check it out, but I had to get some lemonade first,” said Abrams.
Owner of Spiritual Lemonade Imani Williams said Saturday’s event was a first for her business.
“I’m having a lot of fun; it’s been a really good time. I have really been enjoying getting to meet people and just chill with the outside vibe,” Williams said. She also sells herbs, teas, salves, balms, oils, and crystal beads through her Facebook page Remedy Wise.
Cindy Livingston, owner of Crazy Cindy’s Diamond Art, said she was grateful to be a part of the day.
“It’s so nice to see everybody come out and spend time together having fun,” Livingston said.
Vendor Braylon Jewely also came out to showcase his handcrafted pieces.
“I want to see everybody come out here and find themselves some nice boutique jewelry,” said Braylon, who specializes in a variety of styles and designs. Braylon’s Jewelry can also be found through his Facebook page of the same name.