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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, Apr 28 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Apr 29 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Apr 30 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, May 01 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, May 02 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 03 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, May 04 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

Mon, Apr 28, 10:30am - 11:30am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Mon, Apr 28, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone
Registration is now closed

Mon, Apr 28, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Tue, Apr 29, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, Apr 29, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

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

Wed, Apr 30, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, Apr 30, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Thu, May 01, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, May 01, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, May 01, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, May 01, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Thu, May 01, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, May 03, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Sat, May 03, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Sun, May 04, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
TechZone

Tue, May 06, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Wed, May 07, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, May 07, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Thu, May 08, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, May 08, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, May 08, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, May 08, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, May 10, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Mon, May 12, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Tue, May 13, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, May 13, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Tue, May 13, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Wed, May 14, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, May 14, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, May 14, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
TechZone

Wed, May 14, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
TechZone

Thu, May 15, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, May 15, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, May 15, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, May 15, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Tue, May 20, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, May 20, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Wed, May 21, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, May 21, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Thu, May 22, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Computer Lab 2

Thu, May 22, 10:30am - 11:30am

Thu, May 22, 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Thu, May 22, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
TechZone
Registration opens Thursday, May 1 2025 at 10:00am

Thu, May 22, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, May 26, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Tue, May 27, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Small Business & Nonprofit Resource Center

Tue, May 27, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
TechZone
Registration opens Tuesday, May 6 2025 at 10:00am

Wed, May 28, 10:30am - 11:30am
This event is full

Wed, May 28, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
TechZone
Registration opens Wednesday, May 7 2025 at 10:00am

Wed, May 28, 2:00pm - 3:00pm