MARBLEHEAD — Abbot Public Library celebrated the start of its Summer Reading Program Thursday afternoon with a kickoff party that welcomed community members to register and meet some furry friends. 

Residents gathered at the library for some fun-in-the-sun activities to jump-start a summer full of reading. Terry’s Ice Cream stopped by and helped cool everyone down on the hot summer afternoon. 

Families were able to sign up for the summer reading program at the party, where they could earn prizes for every book read this summer. 

Sustainable Marblehead and the Council on Aging hosted arts-and-crafts activities where kids could paint fish portraits on paper plates or decorate whale cutouts. 

The stars of the event were two adoptable dogs from Cape Ann Animal Aid, Raisin and Coco, who stole everyone’s hearts. Raisin is a mixed breed who enjoys playing and loved the attention she received from those who attended the event. 

Coco is a Labrador mix puppy with the short and stout legs of a corgi. Coco and her siblings came to the CAAA from Puerto Rico, and, like their friend Raisin, they could not wait to play in the sun with the children.

While neither could be brought home from the event, there was no shortage of interest in the two beautiful dogs. 

Abbott Public Library offered a book sale at Thursday’s event, where guests could donate any amount and take as many books as they pleased. Many families left with stacks of books for summer, which delighted the librarians. 

Abbot Public Library has a full lineup of summer events for teenagers and young children in addition to its Summer Reading Program. The staff highly recommends registering for the reading programs to add some extra fun to the summer months. 

To find more information about this summer’s events at Abbot Public Library, visit the calendar on their website or call the library at 781-631-1481.