By CASEY ADAMS
Cove Leader-Press
Children disappeared into mountains of foam outside the Copperas Cove Public Library on Tuesday while families inside connected with healthcare providers, safety advocates and community organizations during a record-setting kickoff for the library’s annual Summer Reading Program.
More than 200 people attended the event, surpassing previous foam party attendance records.
For Karen Eacrett, head of the library’s children’s department, the event represents months of planning and a mission that extends far beyond books alone.
“The goal is always to encourage kids to read,” Eacrett said. “We want to help prevent the summer slide and help them continue building their reading skills.”
The “summer slide” refers to the learning loss that can occur when students are away from the classroom for several months. Eacrett explained that children who stop reading during the summer often spend the first part of the new school year relearning skills they had previously mastered.
“Reading skills are like anything else,” she said. “If you practice them, you maintain them. When children continue reading during the summer, they’re ready to build on those skills when they return to school.”
The Copperas Cove Public Library’s Summer Reading Program is part of a nationwide effort to promote literacy and lifelong learning.
This year’s kickoff featured a Summer Safety Fair that brought together organizations from across the region. Visitors gathered information from representatives of McLane Children’s Hospital, Central Texas Poison Control, Texas Health and Human Services, military family support programs, financial literacy organizations and other community partners.
Eacrett said the library serves as a place where families can access educational resources, social connections and support services.
Throughout the summer, children can earn rewards by tracking their reading on library reading logs. Participants receive prizes at various milestones and can earn invitations to a special pizza party sponsored by local businesses. Children who complete an entire reading log may also enter drawings for bicycles donated by Knights of Pythias, along with helmets for the bikes donated by Girl Scouts of Central Texas.
Additional reading logs earn additional rewards, including books that have been donated to the library.
The program also features a series of educational and entertainment events throughout the summer.
The library typically serves between 100 and 125 participants through its summer reading program each year, though individual events can attract significantly larger crowds. Last year’s foam party alone drew nearly 200 attendees. This year’s kickoff surpassed that mark with more than 200 people attending the event, setting a new attendance record for the popular foam party.
Families interested in participating in the Summer Reading Program can register through the Copperas Cove Public Library’s online calendar, where a full schedule of summer events is available.
Upcoming programs include a presentation by the Waco Mammoth National Monument on Thursday, June 16 at 2 p.m. All events are free.
Registration is required for Thursday performance programs and opens at 9 a.m. the day before each event.
Families can sign up for the Summer Reading program at https://copperascove-tx.whofi.com/calendar/event/1318791.
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