By MADDY VITALE
What began as a way to safely spend time outdoors during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a popular activity for Ocean City families — reading while strolling in Lake Memorial Park in a program called StoryWalk.
Hosted by the Ocean City Free Public Library (OCFPL), StoryWalk has given hundreds of children and their parents or guardians an exciting, entertaining way to read a children’s book since 2020.
Large pages are propped up on aluminum holders that were donated by the Friends and Volunteers of the OCFPL. Children get to read and enjoy nature with their families, OCFPL Director Karen Mahar said.
On Friday, library staff, Ocean City dignitaries, and families joined for a ribbon cutting. They were there to celebrate a partnership between the library and the city in making the park at 407 Wesley Ave. a permanent place to hold StoryWalk.
Mahar credited the city with helping to make the park a permanent home for the family-friendly reading program.
“I’m so proud of this awesome partnership that we have created with the city and our Friends and Volunteers of the Library by taking an underutilized park, Lake Memorial Park, in the center of Ocean City and bringing it to life with the StoryWalk,” she said.
Mayor Jay Gillian said, “It’s a great partnership with the library. It brings our families outside to our parks to read and enjoy.”
Books are selected by the library and are placed in the park for several weeks at a time, before a different book is selected to spotlight. Families are able to view them at their convenience throughout several months of the year.
“I was very pleased with the turnout for our grand opening of our permanent StoryWalk,” Mahar said, adding that there were over 160 people in attendance to enjoy a book and also celebrate.
Manager of the Children’s Department, Librarian Taimi Kelley, brought the idea of StoryWalk to Ocean City in 2020.
The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Vt., and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Kelley thought it would be a great addition to the children’s programming at the library. Mahar agreed.
The book chosen for Friday’s event was, “Strictly No Elephants,” by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo.
Kelley said she was so ecstatic over the positive response from the community toward the reading program.
“We are so excited to have a permanent StoryWalk, and look forward to sharing many picture books with the community through it,” Kelley said.
The Friends and Volunteers of the Ocean City Library paid for 20 permanent structures and their installation for $6,070. The structures were put up at the park several months ago for ease of reading, as well as being able to handle inclement weather.
“Thank you to the Friends and Volunteers of the Library for purchasing the permanent signs, as well as the City of Ocean City for allowing us to use Lake Memorial Park,” Kelley said. “We hope that readers of all ages enjoy engaging with books outside at our StoryWalk for many years.”
Mahar said she was appreciative of her entire library staff, especially Kelley, for bringing the idea to the library of having a StoryWalk.
“This innovative idea promotes literacy, physical activity, and being outdoors,” Mahar said. “It was a spectacular afternoon.”
In addition to library staff, Friends and Volunteers members, and the mayor, were many officials from the library, schools, and city.
Among them were OCFPL Board of Trustees President Jennifer Shirk and Vice President Fred Marcel, Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman, Board of Education President Dr. Patrick Kane, Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Commerce representative Rose Savastano, Ocean City Business Administrator George Savastano, Michael Allegretto, aide to the mayor, Director of Community Services Dan Kelchner and city employee Justin Juliano.
For more information about the Ocean City Free Public Library and StoryWalk visit www.oceancitylibrary.org.
