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Summer Reading program theme is 'Color Our World'
color our world
GBPL north ramp
There are ramps at the north entrance (shown here) and the east entrance of the Great Bend Public Library, but they are too steep for today’s ADA standards. Grant money will be used to lengthen the ramp at the east entrance and add a lift to the steps on the north side. - photo by photo by Susan Thacker/Great Bend Tribune

The 2025 Summer Reading Program at the Great Bend Public Library kicks off on May 30, coinciding with the Final Friday on Forest event.

GBPL Director Maribeth Shafer said there will be something for all ages. For those attending Final Friday, which takes place from 5-10 p.m. in the block in front of the Great Bend Tribune, “you can just come over catty corner and join us,” Shafer said.

This year’s Summer Reading Program theme is Color Our World, which means activities will be art-based.

“For our kickoff, we’re going to do a bunch of art stations,” Shafer said.

They will have mini canvases so participants can make a small piece of art to leave behind. There will also be a paper mural wall in the back of the library.

The Summer Reading Program will continue for six weeks. For the wrap-up party on July 18, sponsors plan to display some of the art made throughout the summer. They also hope to work with the Shafer Art Gallery at Barton Community College to have a display in the library.

“So please, if you get a chance, come by the library and check us out. Our goal is to provide excellent programming for people of all ages, and we would love to see anyone and everyone there.”

Dan Dan the Magic Man will be at the library on Wednesday, June 4, at 10:30 a.m. Dan Dan (Dan Heath) will dazzle young readers and their families with a kaleidoscope of magic and imagination, bringing his vibrant blend of comedy and magic to kick off the library’s Wonder-Filled Wednesday events.


Grants for access

There are five steps leading to the library’s main (east) entrance at 1409 Williams St. and four steps to the entrance on the northwest corner. There are also ramps to both entrances, but they were built in 1972 and do not comply with today’s Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards because they are “a little too steep ... for anybody that has a walker, a stroller, a wheelchair – anything along those lines,” Shafer said at last week’s Great Bend City Council meeting.

Shafer said the library has received grants to improve accessibility at both entrances.

Last year the library received a $10,000 grant that will be used to remake the main entrance ramp.

A $5,000 gift from the Golden Belt Community Foundation will help pay for a stair lift or chair lift on the north side.