A Wildly Fun Summer Reading Program at Calhoun County Library

            The past few weeks have been buzzing with excitement at the Calhoun County Library, thanks to two action-packed Summer Reading Program events that drew in fantastic crowds.

On Thursday, July 17, 2025, the library welcomed a dozen fascinating live animals as part of an unforgettable visit from the Critter Keeper. Known for his creepy, crawly companions and engaging educational shows, the Critter Keeper delivered not one, but two packed performances—one at 10:30 AM and another at 1:30 PM—due to overwhelming demand.

To kick things off, the Critter Keeper jokingly “charged admission” in the form of petting Mr. Beasley, his friendly bearded dragon. Some attendees eagerly accepted the challenge, others hesitated before bravely reaching out, and a few opted to skip the petting—something the Critter Keeper graciously allowed.

Throughout the show, guests met returning stars like Plasma the blood python and Misshell the turtle. Several lucky attendees even got to hold a tarantula! Each animal encounter was paired with fascinating facts, from how they protect themselves to how we can help protect their habitats.

In keeping with this year’s Summer Reading Program theme—“All About Colors”—the Critter Keeper introduced a brilliantly colored red-eyed tree frog. With shades of red, blue, green, orange, brown, and more, this vibrant amphibian perfectly captured the spirit of the theme and delighted everyone in attendance.

But the highlight of the show was still to come. For the grand finale, the Critter Keeper invited a few brave volunteers—and some nervous-looking adults—to help him handle his star attraction: Julius Squeezer, a massive 50-pound albino boa constrictor. Recently fed and full of energy, Julius required the strength of several kids to hold him up for an epic group photo.

The library was thrilled to host the Critter Keeper once again, and with about 250 people attending, it’s safe to say the event was a huge success. His show continues to be a favorite in our community and a memorable highlight of our summer programming.

The Calhoun County Library’s Summer Reading Program is completely free and open to all, made possible through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the South Carolina State Library.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and volunteered—you helped make this summer one to remember!

Former teacher, Kathy Link, has been captured by a python at the Calhoun County Library. Beware!

Special Calhoun County Library Dedication

            The Calhoun County Library has a lot of great things happening and we’re making changes to better serve our community! One change we recently made was to honor a long-term board member with a special dedication.

 In honor of one of our long-standing library board members, we have dedicated one room to her and have placed her portrait in the room along with a placard designating the room name. We’re delighted to announce that the conference room to the right of the front circulation desk is now named the Ann Kissam Thornton Board Room in honor of Mrs. Ann Thornton of St. Matthews, one of our most loyal board members. Mrs. Thornton has served on the Calhoun County Board of Trustees since 1979 and is just as excited about the library’s impact on people’s lives now as she was back then. She is actively involved in library programs, and she volunteers for numerous children’s programs and events. You will probably see her at the Boo Bash in October and at Cookies with Santa in December. Mrs. Thornton is an avid reader herself and can frequently be seen at the library checking out her favorite books. We are pleased to welcome the Ann Kissam Thornton Board Room, available to the public upon request.

Mrs. Ann Thornton has been a member of the Calhoun County Library Board of Trustees since April 27, 1979. We were able to congratulate Ms. Thornton and have her join us for a quick little interview.

 

Question: What led you to decide to be a committed member of the Calhoun County Board of Trustees?

Answer: I had three young children and I always enjoyed reading to them. Reading is just important as a whole and so is love for libraries, which I had and passed down to my children. Although libraries are more than just reading, we initially did not have lots of programs here in Calhoun County. I wanted to get more people involved in reading.

 

Question: What has contributed to your longevity on the Library Board?

Answer: I came to love the library more throughout the years. I loved how the library was growing and the direction it was going in. I also loved the other board members who shared the same desire to create the best library possible.

 

Question: What are some of the best changes you have seen take place at the library while serving on the Calhoun County Library Board?

Answer: One of the best changes is that we have witnessed people realizing that there is more to a library than just books. From when I joined, we have moved buildings, added more activities and programs, and created bigger opportunities for everyone. For example, there is a sense of camaraderie amongst the parents and guardians who bring their little ones to the Mother Goose on the Loose program.

 

Question: How has serving on the Board impacted your life?

Answer: This is a deep and loaded question. The answer has to be that it gave me purpose and belonging. That does not mean that it was easy though. I was raising three children and working full time while being on the Board. I am a big believer that if many do a little, a lot gets accomplished.

 

We would like to thank Ms. Ann Thornton for her many years of devotion and commitment to the Calhoun County Library by serving on the Calhoun County Library Board of Trustees. So, come by and see the Ann Kissam Thornton Board Room!

Summer Reading Magician and Illusionist

            The Calhoun County Library welcomed a fantastic magician and illusionist for the Summer Reading Program last week, and we had a packed house!

            Tim Sonefelt came to the library on Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 10:30 AM to perform for everyone. This performance involved a lot of tricks and misdirection that had our audience in awe. Some of these magic deceptions involved erasing the colors in a coloring book in front of their eyes (without moving this book too much) and then, with the quick wave of his hand, it was perfectly colored again. This had the crowd screaming like crazy! Other illusions included finding the hidden Skittles inside magical colored boxes and a visit from Larry the Duck!

            A lesson that Tim taught everyone was that color and art come in multiple forms. Instead of just thinking about painting or drawing, art can be cooking, baking, making music, designing structures through architecture, designing fashion, writing, and others. Art comes in multiple forms, and Tim included this in his performance perfectly.

            The Summer Reading Program is completely free to attend and enjoy. We would like to thank everyone who came and volunteered. This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library.

A Colorful Week of Science Camp

            The Calhoun County Library held a very colorful STEM Science Camp the last week in June with a wonderful retired chemist.

            All About Colors was the topic of the STEM Science Camp this year. It took place from Monday, June 23, 2025, through Friday, June 27, 2025. Each class was from 11:45 AM - 1 PM. Our teacher was the wonderful Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson, who led us through a five-day week full of experiments and thrills.

            On day one, we made color wheels and learned about everything from primary colors, hues, how to make the secondary colors, and the foundation of colors. This gave our scientists a baseline of information to build on for the rest of the week.

            On day two, we learned about color solutions by mixing water, dyes, chemicals like hydrochloric acid, and in-house foods like purple cabbage and vinegar together. This gave our scientists a physical illusion of how colors work and change depending on what comes in contact with them.

            On day three, we did a scavenger hunt around the library to search for the primary and secondary colors. This gave our scientists a chance to find these colors in the wild and explore how books are colorful in many ways.

            On day four, we made a wearable, a tie dye visor hat, using household items. With colored Kool-aid and some water, we used paint brushes to draw on base colors and then designs on their hats. After they were finished, they had a choice whether or not to spray their wearable with rubbing alcohol, which dilutes the colors and spreads them out. This allowed our scientists to express their personalities in a colorful, wearable form.

            On day five, we had our color-bration to celebrate all of our scientists who completed this week-long STEM Science Camp with us. We even had to highlight some of the best notebooks, most improved, best wearable, and other awards just because these scientists put their best work forward, especially during summer when they aren’t even in school.

            We are very pleased with the turnout of the 2025 STEM Science Camp. It was a blast! We would like to extend our greatest thanks to Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson for putting on a wonderful and well-thought-through STEM Science Camp full of colors to fit right into our Summer Reading Program theme: Color Our World. We would also like to thank the Orangeburg Chick-fil-a for donating a special prize to each of our STEM Science Camp scientists for their hard work. Of course, the Calhoun County Library would not be able to put on programs like these without the support of our volunteers so we would like to thank them for always being there to lend us a helping hand.

A Fabulous Porkchop Productions Play

            The Calhoun County Library had a special Summer Reading Program last week and we partnered with the Calhoun County Museum.

            On Thursday, July 26, 2025, at 10:30 AM, Porkchop Productions performed for the Summer Reading Program at the Calhoun County Museum. They performed a funny, inspirational version of “The Tortoise and the Hare.” The play was a fable, which is a short story that usually involves animals and teaches a lesson, about a hare (a rabbit) that was competitive and cocky. The animals in the barn did not want to play with the hare because of that. During the play, the hare played with a few different animals and never changed its ways: always winning and then rubbing it in and bragging.

            Eventually, the tortoise challenged the hare to a race. The hare, of course, laughed but eventually agreed. The race was off and the hare was so much faster than the slow tortoise that he decided to take a nap. Due to not having an alarm or someone to wake him up, the hare slept longer than he intended and almost missed the slow tortoise crossing the finish line before him. This taught the hare that you can’t expect everything to go your way and win all the time, but you have to be happy for others when they win and you can’t be a sore loser.

            Over 150 people went to the Calhoun County Museum to watch the Calhoun County Library’s Summer Reading Program with Porkchop Productions. This was a fantastic turnout and we love that everyone was able to enjoy this fantastic performance!

            This project is made possible by a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the South Carolina State Library.

            Also, remember, slow and steady wins the race.