Under the Sea
Summer Reading Program breaks records, raises $25K

The 2022 Berryville Library 25,000 Leagues Under the Sea Summer Reading Program goes into the books as the most successful summer reading program to date. Five hundred and four readers signed up for this year’s program with 362 reporting hours. A lifelong Berryville family who wishes to remain anonymous offered a challenge to the community: they would donate $1 for every hour read up to 25,000 hours. The readers of Berryville not only reached this goal but surpassed it, logging 26,630 hours this summer. The $25,000 raised will be used toward building the new library.

The Summer Reading Program is open to all ages, and participants were able to log in through Beanstack, an electronic application that can be accessed via internet on a computer or a smartphone. Hours could also be recorded on paper logs that were turned in at the library.

“This was our trifecta,”said Berryville library director Julie Hall. “In 2020, we set a goal of reading 10,000 hours and read 15,343 to raise $15,343 for the Building Fund. In 2021, we set a goal of 15,000 hours and read 19,955 to raise that much for the Building Fund. Twenty-five thousand hours was our stretch goal, and we weren’t sure it was possible. We are so grateful to all our friends, near and far, who took time out of their busy summers to help us reach this goal and raise this $25,000. We are overwhelmed by how much our community supports our library and its need to have an improved facility.”

The challenge was divided into categories by age. One hundred and eighty one participants under 18 years old logged 7,534 hours of reading. One hundred and eighty one adult participants logged 19,096 hours of reading. Leah Rice was the top youth reader of the year, logging 360 hours in just eightweeks. Briana Hernandez was the top adult reader, logging in 646 hours.

Juggling Jeff performs in front of a packed house at Berryville High School’s Performing Arts Center. The Berryville School District partnered with the Berryville Library to present a Summer Showcase each Monday at the performing arts center.
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New this year was a partnership with the Berryville schools to use their Performing Arts Center to host a Summer Showcase each Monday. These free programs brought in performers from St. Louis, Memphis and Kansas City, as well as Northwest Arkansas, and featured mad science demonstrations, talents such as juggling large items while balancing on a large ball, a 15-foot boa constrictor named Stephanie, and more.

“We really appreciate the high school allowing us to use the PAC. This is a wonderful location to host these programs. I truly believe this helped increase our participation rates this year,“ Hall said.

In addition to earning awards for reaching individual reading goals, participants earned chances in raffles for special prizes by attending programs. Theprizes were sponsored by the Friends of the Berryville Library or donated by local businesses interested in encouraging kids to read over the summer.

The library prides itself on offering quality educational programming for all ages along with being a continual resource to those needing assistance in finding employment, low-cost business services, or even just free access to the internet. Open seven days a week, the library is a community hub for all to enjoy.

For more information on how you can contribute to the Berryville Library Building Project, stop by the library at 104 Spring St. or call Kristy Noble-Tesch at (870) 423-6565. For a complete list of upcoming programs or hours of operation, visit berryvillelibrary.org or call (870) 423-2323. The Berryville Library offers active Facebook and Instagram pages as well.