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Image for event: 18th Annual Family Reading Festival

18th Annual Family Reading Festival

2025-02-08 10:00:00 2025-02-08 14:00:00 America/New_York 18th Annual Family Reading Festival Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Bluey and Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book. Main Library -

Saturday, February 08
10:00am - 2:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-02-08 10:00:00 2025-02-08 14:00:00 America/New_York 18th Annual Family Reading Festival Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Bluey and Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book. Main Library -

Sing, dance, and play with Jim Gill. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal with Outback Ray. Visit with Bluey and Daniel Tiger. Enjoy literacy-rich activities. Take home a new book.

Performances:

10:30 am - He's Back! Musician Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs.

11:30 am - Outback Ray and his amazing animal friends. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal! Sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

1 pm - Jim Gill, afternoon matinee performance.

Drop-In:

10 am - 1 pm: Meet Bluey!

10 am - 1 pm: Meet Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood! Sponsored by Ideastream Public Media.

10 - 1 pm - Local community organizations will share hands-on activities and information about services for families.

10 am - 2 pm - Each child in attendance will take home a free book. Sponsored in part by Children & Books.

11 am - 1 pm - Face Painting sponsored by the Friends of Main Library.

Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs

Get ready to sing, clap, dance and spin along during this visit by award-winning musician and author Jim Gill. Jim Gill’s distinctive music play creates the spirit of a family room in the concert hall and is an invitation to children, parents and grandparents to sing and play together!

Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children's artists. Jim is a child development specialist, completing his graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. For this reason, each of Jim's recordings and books is created as an opportunity for playful interactions between a child and a caring adult. Anyone who has experienced one of Jim's family concerts knows that rather than performing for the children and parents, Jim leads them to sing and play together.

Jim has released ten award-winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. Jim is also the author of two children's books. A Soup Opera is a silly sing-along opera inspired by concerts that Jim performs with symphony orchestras. His first book, May There Always Be Sunshine, continues to inspire children from across the country to share their heartfelt wishes and extraordinary illustrations in community VIDEO book projects that Jim carries out with libraries, school districts and other community organizations.

AGE GROUP: | Preschool |

EVENT TYPE: | Special Events |

TAGS: | |

Main Library

Phone: 330.643.9000
Branch manager
Michael Bianchi

Hours
Mon, Mar 10 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Mar 11 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Mar 12 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Mar 13 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Mar 14 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Mar 15 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Mar 16 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Main Library, located in the heart of downtown Akron, combines compelling public space with meaningful and relevant public library services for all members of our community. Since opening in 2004, the downtown library welcomes more than one million visitors each year.

Subject divisions include: Business, Government & Science, Culture & AV, Magazines & Newspapers, Special Collections (local history & genealogy), TechZone@Main, Teen, and a 12,000 square feet Children's Library.

Special services available at Main Library include: a Patent & Trademark Resource Center; U.S. Passport and Notary services; a Microbusiness Center; a Maker Space; a resource lab for early childhood educators; and regularly scheduled computer training classes. Also available at Main Library are more than 125 public access computers, color photocopiers/printers, laminating, scanning, faxing, and free Wi-Fi.

Specialized spaces include a 425-seat auditorium, public meeting rooms, and a used bookstore. An interior glass block walkway leads to a 600-space parking garage owned by the City of Akron. An outdoor amphitheater and landscaped park complete the complex.

Upcoming Events

Wed, Mar 12, 10:30am - 11:30am
Registration is now closed

Wed, Mar 12, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Wed, Mar 12, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, Mar 12, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Wed, Mar 12, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
TechZone

Thu, Mar 13, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Mar 13, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, Mar 13, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, Mar 13, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Mar 13, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Mar 15, 10:30am - 1:00pm

Mon, Mar 17, 10:30am - 11:00am

Mon, Mar 17, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone
This event is full

Mon, Mar 17, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Tue, Mar 18, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, Mar 18, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Wed, Mar 19, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Mar 19, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, Mar 19, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Thu, Mar 20, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Mar 20, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, Mar 20, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, Mar 20, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone
This event is full

Thu, Mar 20, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Mar 20, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Mar 24, 10:30am - 11:00am

Tue, Mar 25, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Tue, Mar 25, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Wed, Mar 26, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Mar 26, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Mar 26, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Thu, Mar 27, 10:00am - 4:00pm
Quiet Study Room 1

Thu, Mar 27, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Mar 27, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, Mar 27, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, Mar 27, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Mar 27, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Mar 31, 10:30am - 11:00am

Mon, Mar 31, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Tue, Apr 01, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, Apr 01, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Wed, Apr 02, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, Apr 02, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Wed, Apr 02, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Thu, Apr 03, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, Apr 03, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, Apr 03, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, Apr 03, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 03, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 05, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 05, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Auditorium

Sun, Apr 06, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Apr 07, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Apr 08, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Wed, Apr 09, 10:15am - 1:00pm
Atrium,Auditorium,Meeting Room 1,Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 09, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Educator Lab,Children's Library Programming Room

Wed, Apr 09, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, Apr 09, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Wed, Apr 09, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Wed, Apr 09, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
TechZone

Thu, Apr 10, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, Apr 10, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Educator Lab,Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 10, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, Apr 10, 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 10, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium