Celebrate 50 years of reading at your local library!

Summer at the Arlington Public Library will be fun and exciting with great programs.  All programs are free to the public but many programs are design for specific age groups.  At some locations seating is limited and require registration two weeks before the event. Please contact each location for space availability.

Programs listed by branch:

tured Presenters

Featured Performers

A Celebration of Stories
Children’s entertainer Brett Roberts celebrates the summer reading jubilee with lots of silly jokes and mystifying magic. Ages 4-12.
June 23, 10 a.m. - Hugh Smith Recreation Center
June 23, 1 p.m. & 2:15 p.m. – Southeast Branch Library

Bongo Rod and His Coconutty Buddies
“Bongo” Rod Butler of Radio Station KCBI returns to the library with his Tube Dudes and other crazy puppets for an afternoon of humor and positive messages. After the show, children will be able to make their own tube dude to take home.
Ages 4-12.
June 19, 3 p.m. – George W. Hawkes Central Library
June 26, 11 a.m. – Northeast Branch Library
July 31, 2:30 p.m. – Lake Arlington Branch Library

DeCee Cornish, Storyteller
DeCee Cornish is an African-American storyteller who brings stories alive with wit and style. Ages 4-12.
June 25, 2:30 p.m. - Southwest Branch Library

Happy Birthday, Books
Magician Todd McKinney gets into the fiftieth anniversary spirit with a show full of magic, audience participation, and library appreciation. Ages 4-12.
July 30, 11 a.m. - Southwest Branch
July 30, 2:30 p.m. - Dottie Lynn Recreation Center
July 30, 7 p.m. - George W. Hawkes Central Library

Pecos Bill
Story Time Theater presents a live-action show retelling the legend of the famous Texas hero. Ages 4-12.
June 18, 2:30 p.m. – Dottie Lynn Recreation Center
July 22, 7 p.m. - George W. Hawkes Central Library

Sandy and Friends
Puppeteer Sandy Shrout brings along her puppet friends for a lively one-woman, many puppets event. Ages 4-12
“How the Dragon Got its Fire”
June 16, 2:30 p.m. – Hugh Smith Recreation Center
July 11, 11 a.m. - Northeast Branch Library
July 28, 2:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. – Southeast Branch Library
“Texas Jack and the Pinto Bean Stalk”
July 11, 3 p.m. - Southwest Branch Library

Strings n’ Things
Gene and Peggy Helmick-Richardson demonstrate toys that children made and played with in the days before television and even radio. Children will learn to play string games. Ages 8-12.
June 17, 2:30 p.m. - Lake Arlington Branch Library

Super Dave and Big Ern
This musical duo keeps their audience smiling and humming along with a program full of songs and fun. Ages 4-12.
June 24, 2:30 p.m. – George W. Hawkes Central Library
July 8, 2:30 p.m. – Southeast Branch Library

Tako the Clown
Clowns speak a universal language that children of all ages understand. Tako keeps everyone enthralled with his juggling, marionettes, and magic tricks. Ages 4-12.
June 14, 11 a.m. – Southeast Branch Library
June 14, 2 p.m. – Southwest Branch Library
July 9, 2:30 p.m. - Dottie Lynn Recreation Center
July 19, 11 a.m. – Northeast Branch Library
July 19, 2 p.m. - East Arlington Branch Library

Tales ’N’ Tunes, Storyteller Dan Gibson
Whether plucking his banjo or spinning a yarn, Dan Gibson keeps his listeners completely enchanted. Ages 4-12.
June 25, 2:30 p.m. – Dottie Lynn Recreation Center
July 15, 2:30 p.m. - Lake Arlington Branch Library
July 22, 10 a.m. - Hugh Smith Recreation Center
August 1, 11 a.m. – Northeast Branch Library

Whirled on a String
Yo-yo champion Valerie Oliver sets heads spinning with amazing tricks. Ages 7-12.
June 13, 11 a.m. – Northeast Branch Library
June 13, 2:30 p.m. - Lake Arlington Branch Library
July 7, 10 a.m. - Hugh Smith Recreation Center
July 7, 2 p.m. - George W. Hawkes Central Library

Wildlife on the Move
K.C. Rudy brings live animals to the library in two separate programs. One contrasts pythons and boa constrictors, the other features snakes, reptiles, and other creatures that are definitely not warm and fuzzy. Ages 5 and up.
June 7, 3 p.m. – Python vs. Boa, George W. Hawkes Central Library
July 25, 3 p.m. – The Unhuggables, Southwest Branch Library
August 6, 2:30 p.m. – The Unhuggables, Dottie Lynn Recreation Center
 

Special Events not held at the library
 

Summer Reading Day at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Sunday, July 13, 2:05 p.m.
Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox

Readers and Listeners earning a reading club certificate by July 1 may order a free ticket to the July 13 baseball game. Readers and Listeners will have a chance to parade around the baseline prior to the game, weather permitting. Family members may buy additional tickets at a discounted price. Deadline for getting tickets by mail is Tuesday, July 1. After that date, ticket orders will need to be faxed or personally delivered to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington ticket office. Don’t forget … there is also a parking fee!

Final Summer Celebration with Lucas Miller, the Singing Zoologist
Saturday, August 9, 2 p.m.
MetroCenter, 1323 W. Pioneer Parkway

Children who earn a reading club certificate are invited to attend our grand musical finale starring Austin musician Lucas Miller. He is known as the singing zoologist because he likes to write songs about animals. He has concocted catchy tunes about bald eagles, the Houston toad, and even fire ants. He has released three CDs: The Anaconda la Bamba, There’s a Chicken on my Head, and I’m a Supa Dupa Pupa. In addition, he composed theme songs for the 2007 reading club, “Sail Away with Books”, and the 2005 reading club, “Go Wild, Read!”