The City of Roanoke, along with the libraries and Parks and Rec department, hosts Story Walk, inviting citizens to bring their families for a walk in city parks while reading books together.
At a time when families are finding it increasingly difficult to enjoy each other’s company in the great outdoors, the City of Roanoke has ridden to the rescue with Story Walk.
A brain gem of Roanoke’s libraries and Parks and Recreation department, Story Walk is just what it says it is: a leisurely walk down a path where pages of a book are hung in metal frames attached to posts. At stops along the walk, the family gathers and reads.
The first book for the walk is the bilingual “Roanoke Baby,” a book published by the Roanoke Public Library Foundation and part of Star City Reads. It features landmarks in the city for families to visit.
The book is becoming something of an icon, since every baby born at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is given one. Roanoke’s libraries director Sheila Umberger says, “The traveling Story Walk is an exciting way for families to enjoy [books] while keeping safe during the pandemic.”
The walk will travel through city parks, says outdoor recreation supervisor Susan Herndon-Powell. She says the walks “not only encourage healthy lifestyles, but they also connect families with nature, and encourage families to visit our great local park system.” The walks will also take place in elementary schools around the city. Here is the schedule for March’s walks.
- Monday, March 8: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Main Library
- Friday, March 12: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Raleigh Court Branch Library
- Saturday, March 13: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Belmont Park
- Friday, March 19: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Williamson Road Branch Library
- Saturday, March 20: 12-1 p.m. at Kennedy Park
- Friday, March 26: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Melrose Branch Library
- Saturday, March 27: 12-1 p.m. at Preston Park
- Tuesday, March 30: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Belmont Branch Library
For more information, call the Roanoke Public Libraries at (540) 853-6412 or email at amber.lowery@roanokeva.gov.
About the Writer:
Dan Smith is an award-winning Roanoke-based writer/author/photographer and a member of the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (Class of 2010). His blog, fromtheeditr.com, is widely read and he has authored seven books, including the novel CLOG! He is founding editor of a Roanoke-based business magazine and a former Virginia Small Business Journalist of the Year (2005).
