Summer is a great time for exploring the world around you. Whether you take a trip out of state or go to a park right in your own neighborhood, there are many new things to be discovered.
This year, I was invited to visit friends on an island that is part of Massachusetts called Martha’s Vineyard. Here are some things I discovered about this new-to-me place:
1. The English began to settle there in mid-1600 but the Wampanoag people have lived there for thousands of years and continue to live there today. You can learn more about their history on the island here .
2. Jaws was filmed here in 1974 and you can watch the movie at the Edgartown theater every Sunday night. People come to jump off the “Jaws bridge” on the road between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. There is a restaurant in Menemsha, where we ate, which was near the site where The Orca boat docks in the movie. Thankfully, I did not see any sharks during my trip! If you haven’t seen Jaws, be sure to Check the Library for the DVD .
3. I’ve often heard the expression “to catch the brass ring”, but I never saw it in action until we went to see the oldest platform carousel in the country. The Flying Horses Carousel still operates and when you go around the circle there is a board that sticks out and you can try to grab a ring off the arm. There are 100s of rings, but only one brass ring. If you get the brass ring you get a free ride. Riders pile the rings on top of their horse as they ride around the circle. It was fun to watch and riders collected a lot of rings, but only one got the brass ring!
Now that I am back home, there is still a lot of summer left. In fact, we are just half way through Game On! Summer Challenge. How many activities have you done? Try something new, mark it down on your game board, and come to the library. You won’t get a brass ring, but there are lots of great prizes to choose from! Here are some fun summer activities that might interest you:
- Listen to an audiobook
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- Help your grown up with a task
- Say I love you or count to ten in another language
- Start a garden
- Attend a Walking Wednesday program
- Learn about an endangered animal
- Visit a local, state, or national park (There are lots of parks right here in Glen Ellyn, and the library hosts a Storytime in the Park on Tuesday evenings at 7 pm. Check the calendar for more details. )
- Visit a Farmer’s Market (If you swing by the Glen Ellyn Farmer’s Market this Sunday, July 14 at 11 am, be sure to join us in Prairie Path Park for the Summer StoryWalk kickoff!)