LYNN — The REAL (Reading and Educational Assistance for Learning) Program is hosting its second annual Little Free Library Crawl: A Celebration of Literacy on Sunday, and invites local families to “embark on an adventure in literacy.”
From 12:30 to 3 p.m., children and adults can search for clues on a literacy-based scavenger hunt starting at the Lynn Museum. Teams will receive a passport, map, and clues there before continuing to the nearby Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre.
The teams will search for clues hidden throughout the Vault’s black box studios and art galleries, where children will find the clues inside REAL’s Little Free Libraries and Lynn Arts exhibits and murals.
“There is no better way to put literacy first than to join The REAL Little Free Library Crawl as a traveler, ambassador, or sponsor,” said REAL Program Executive Director Jan Plourde.
Lynn family organizations sponsoring the event will also be on-site to offer free crafts and activities for children, and share information about their services.
Local author Sheila Duncan will read one of her latest children’s books, “Where There’s Trouble… There’s Hope,” onstage at the Neal Rantoul Vault Theatre at 1:30 p.m.
There will also be a group reading of the “Elephant and Piggie” books at the Lynn Museum at 2 p.m.
Following the scavenger hunt, book readings, and activities, REAL travelers can return to the museum where police officers and Lynn Community Television will award certificates and prizes, accompanied by refreshments and music.
“We are so excited for the event,” said Plourde.
A partnership between the REAL Program and the world’s largest book-sharing nonprofit, Little Free Library, began after Plourde learned of the closure of all of Lynn’s annex libraries and a “concerning” drop in the city’s literacy scores.
“Plourde and the REAL team are determined to write a new narrative for the city, making Lynn a city of readers,” the program said in a press release. “The REAL team rallied Lynn city leaders to help address this literacy crisis as part of REAL’s mission, to improve literacy in Lynn.”
With support from the city and sponsors, volunteers created a plan to build, decorate, and install REAL Little Free Libraries throughout Lynn’s neighborhoods.
REAL volunteers, educators, and local artists set a goal to install 250 REAL Little Free Libraries, and have completed 60 so far. An additional 121 libraries are ready to be installed in the coming months.
To join in this library crawl, visit www.therealprogram.org or contact Plourde at 978-993-4425 or [email protected].
All participants must pre-register online to walk the crawl, which is $5 per child ages 4 and up, and $20 per family.
