FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- The Fort Rucker Center Library celebrated the joy of reading with an event that had families bouncing for joy.
In recognition of Read Across America Week and in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday, the library hosted its Seusstival celebration Feb. 28 where families were able to take photos with their favorite Dr. Seuss characters, play games and win prizes while celebrating the love of reading.
Cameron Hill, Center Library youth librarian, said the event is a good way introduce parents and families to the library and everything it has to offer.
"We like to have fun here at the library, so whatever we can do to have fun and get our patrons having fun and interested in the library we're all for," she said.
Throughout the festivities, children had the chance to fish for prizes, participate in games of corn hole, jump in an inflatable bounce house and compete against each other in sack races, something that Emily Dalton, military spouse, said she had a blast watching.
"This has been a lot of fun for my little girls," she said. "They've really had a blast playing with all the games and especially the sack race. I think I've watched them run through the race at least three times."
Dalton said that Dr. Seuss has been a staple in her home since she was a little girl, so the chance to be able to share the love of his literature with her daughters, Ashley and Erin, was something that brought her joy.
"I've always loved Dr. Seuss books," she said. "'The Cat in the Hat' is my favorite book of his, and I love that his work is so timeless that I can see the same love my girls have for his books that I did as a child.
"I can see that they're going to have the same type of memories associated with his stories that I do, because I feel like his works gives you a sense of wonderment and the ability to look at the world from a different viewpoint, and that's a lesson I can totally get behind," she continued. "Of course that's not how I saw it when I was younger, but I feel like that's the message he gets across with his work, which is just fine by me."
Melissa York, civilian, said she heard about the event through a friend and thought it would be a great day to spend with her children.
"We don't get to come onto (post) very often, but when we do it's always good fun," she said. "I'm glad things like this are open to us to attend, and I'm glad that there's a purpose behind it, too."
York said reading books is an important part of growing up that she feels is being lost as technology continues to become integrated into daily life.
"I think that not too many children pick up books to read anymore, and that's a little scary to me," she said. "I always encourage my children to read books, whether it's on their (tablet) or an actual book, I just want to them to read the stories for themselves and use their imaginations to see the characters come to life. I think that's incredibly important to children's development, and it's great that the library here is doing what they can to promote that."
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