MORENCI — “Reading a book” is taking on a whole different dimension with the installation of “story walks” in four locations around Lenawee County this summer.
The first story walk was unveiled May 18 at Morenci’s Wakefield Park. Three more sites will follow this summer at Adrian’s Island Park, the playground area at ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital, and the Boundless Playground in Blissfield.
The story walks are funded by the Lenawee Great Start Collaborative thanks to a literacy grant from the state of Michigan totaling approximately $58,000. Each of the four walks consists of 18 stands with aluminum frames containing laminated pages from a children’s book. Readers read the book by walking from station to station.
The stands also list an activity, such as “count the steps to the next sign,” to get youngsters even more engaged and give them more to do while on the walk.
Lenawee Great Start Director Lisa Eack said that when she first learned about the story walk idea and saw how it works, “I said, ‘this is the way to go.’”
All of the chosen locations have been highly supported by the officials involved, offering up the tools and manpower needed for the initial construction, “so we’re really excited about that,” Eack said. “There’s been lots of great collaboration.”
And, she added, if Lenawee Great Start gets the state grant again, she would like to add walks in even more local communities.
The collaborative bought some 100 books for a wide range of ages and left it up to each location to choose what titles they want to use. Lenawee Great Start will be responsible for the sites’ upkeep and switching the books out periodically.
Morenci was the first place Lenawee Great Start reached out to because “we have a really great relationship with the library there,” Eack said. The city was immediately on board.
When Heather Sarnac, the city’s director of community and economic development, first got the email from Eack proposing the idea, “I jumped on it,” she said. She began working with Colleen Leddy, the Stair District Library’s director, and Ted Hutchison, Morenci’s Department of Public Works supervisor, to find just the right location.
“It was something we didn’t have yet,” Sarnac said. “I thought it would be a great addition.” And, she said, she was very pleased that Lenawee Great Start had noticed Morenci’s recent improvements, including all the beautification efforts in the downtown area, major upgrades to Stephenson Park, the new Alley 221 parklet, and much more.
When Leddy first heard about the plan, “I thought it was the coolest idea,” she said. She had seen a similar walk in Lexington, Kentucky, and was intrigued by it. “I just wanted to read the story,” she said.
Because Sarnac wanted to tie the walk’s launch into the school district’s student-run farmers market on May 18, Leddy chose Lauren Childs’ book “I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato” as their walk’s first title.
“I knew that Heather wanted to use a gardening theme, so I went down the list from Lisa and I’m a fan of this author,” Leddy said. “I knew it was a perfect fit. It has a funny ending and it will appeal to a lot of age groups.”
Both Sarnac and Leddy said they are grateful for the city leadership’s support and that Lenawee Great Start chose Morenci for a collaboration. And they are excited to bring a new literacy-focused opportunity like this to the city.
For children and their families to get outside and be involved in a story, “going from one panel to the other wondering what’s going to happen next, and getting to the end and finding out how the story ends, it’s different because it’s more engaging,” Leddy said.
“As a parent, I love that you’re meeting the kids where they are,” Sarnac added. “The kids can experience a book in their element.”
