Story & Photo by Marianne Salza
In celebration of National Literacy Month, the Chelsea Public Library and The City of Chelsea will be holding the 14th Annual Family Literacy Day on November 2, 2019, 11am-2pm, at the library. The free community event will honor the memories of Literacy Day supporters, Dr. Elisha Hornblower “Skip” Atkins and Robert “Duke” Bradley.
“It’s very exciting,” said Katherine Palencia, Children’s Librarian. “It’s a fun event. Fostering the community is awesome.”
There will be an appearance by Bat Kitty, from the children’s book series, “Bad Kitty,” by Nick Bruel; as well as special guest readers: Fire Department Chief Leonard A. Albanese, City Manager Tom Ambrosino, Police Sergeant David Flibotte, and Superintendent elect Dr. Abeyta.
Local organizations — such as CAPIC (Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc.), who will be decorating hats with children – will provide craft tables. Families can also partake in an interactive story walk, and enjoy a performance by Off Broadway Dance Studio.
“The event gets more sophisticated every year,” noted Bob Collins, former Director. “It’s an indication of how successful the event is to sustain something this long and still be popular.”
During its first year, Family Literacy Day was attended by 64 visitors; now hundreds of parents and children gather, and 500 backpacks filled with books are presented to children.
“After having worked it for 10 years part time, this is my first time having a bigger role,” explained Palencia, who is proud to be a member of the Family Literacy Chelsea Reads Planning Committee in her new title as Children’s Librarian. “Being able to help my community by facilitating the event is special to me.”
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