Ida Rupp Libraries will celebrate the grand opening of the Ida Rupp Public Library StoryWalk® on Thursday, Sept. 12, with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6 pm. The StoryWalk® is located on the West side of Ida Rupp Public Library, at 310 Madison St. in Port Clinton.

Following brief remarks, families can participate in a scavenger hunt, enjoy refreshments and, of course, read the story in the StoryWalk®.

The StoryWalk® has been made possible by a generous donation from the Friends of Ida Rupp Public Library, a grant from the Park District of Ottawa County, donations in memory of former Library Trustee, Nancy Bailey, and a generous donation in honor of Trustee, Lynne Kroeger.

Library Director Lindsay Faust said she is “excited by the new interactive experience and outdoor space at the library. The library has owned the land the StoryWalk® was installed on since 2014, and the land has not been fully utilized in the past. The new StoryWalk® will allow the library to have a beautiful space for outdoor programming. It also gives families and patrons of all ages a serene place to enjoy a walk while promoting literacy or to relax and read on one of the benches along the walk. A new story will be featured about every month.”

Ida Rupp Libraries has two other StoryWalks®. The Erie Islands Library opened a StoryWalk® at the Dodge Woods Nature Preserve in Put-in-Bay in 2018 in collaboration with the Lake Erie Islands Nature Conservancy. In Danbury Township, the Marblehead Peninsula Branch Library worked with Danbury Township to install a StoryWalk® at Meadowbrook Marsh.

The very first StoryWalk® was created in 2007 by Anne Ferguson from Vermont. Her goal was to have more children in her community become physically active by walking a trail that was visually engaging and would spark their interest. She installed posts along the walking trail and added pages from a picture book to each post that all ages can find joy in. Because of Anne’s commitment and fresh idea, StoryWalk® sites are now in all 50 states and in 13 countries.

For questions, contact Ida Rupp Public Library at 419-732-3212 or visit their website for more information at www.idarupp.org.