When the Salem Public Library closes on Friday, the animals come out.
To celebrate the end of the summer reading program, children and teen librarians at the library are putting on an overnight adventure for Salem kids’ stuffed animals – led by the program’s mascot, Sage the Sasquatch.
“Since the summer reading theme this year is ‘read beyond the beaten path,’ we thought this was the perfect opportunity to do a little campout,” said children’s librarian Jessica Marie.
Sage is a stuffed animal with large toes and soft fur, and has led the library’s social media outreach during the summer reading program. Their adventures include showing off the library’s microfilm collection by posting about a 1969 Bigfoot visit to North Salem High School and giving a behind-the-scenes look at how librarians prepare books for circulation.
Marie said 3,465 people signed up for the summer reading program. The opportunity to earn prizes by logging reading time and completing specific challenges ends Thursday, but participants can still register and earn a bag of library goodies for completing the challenge through the end of the month.
The camp out is something the library has done in the past, but Marie said their last one was in 2014.
Kids can drop off stuffed animals for the adventure anytime Friday during regular library hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Ask Here desk in the children’s corner upstairs. The library is located at 585 Liberty St. N.E.
Once the public leaves the building, Marie said the fun will begin. Sage will lead fellow stuffed animals on a series of adventures, showing off some areas that are normally closed to the public, with photos to be posted on social emdia. Participating stuffed animals will get party favors and prizes, plus a group photo with Sage.
Their human companions can pick up stuffed animals Saturday starting when the library opens at 10 a.m. Each stuffed animal will be tagged with a claim ticket so there’s no confusion about which child to return the animal to.
“Their stuffy will be kept safe and have all kinds of amazing adventures at the library,” Marie said.
For more information, visit the Facebook page for the event.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
