Burlington County children and families have a new destination where they can simultaneously read, move and enjoy the outdoors.
A new StoryWalk® is open at Riverton Memorial Park (Cedar Street and 8th Street), and the Burlington County Commissioners joined with Riverton officials, library staff, volunteers and community members for a fun Kickoff Party to celebrate the new addition to the Burlington County Library System (BCLS) and the riverfront community.
“Reading and literacy are essential to learning, but it doesn’t need to be a solo activity confined to indoors or anchored to a table, desk or chair,” said Burlington County Library Commission Chair Jonathan Chebra. “StoryWalk® offers a fun, immersive way to experience a story in the outdoors, with other children, families and readers. It’s a fantastic resource that shows the impact our libraries can have both inside and outside our buildings.”
“Reading is a lifelong adventure and Burlington County’s StoryWalk® lets readers of all ages exercise their bodies and their imaginations,” added Burlington County Commissioner Randy Brolo, who represented the board at the kickoff. “The newStoryWalk® is a great addition to Riverton and the Burlington County Library System. We’re excited to see how it can promote literacy and bring families and communities together.”
The Riverton StoryWalk® was created through a partnership between the Burlington County Library System, Riverton and the BCLS Foundation. The attraction consists of numerous reading stations built around the playground in Memorial Park. Each station displays pages from an illustrated children’s book. Visitors to the park can stroll, run or skip from station to station while interacting with the story. Each station also has literacy tips and challenges designed to engage and entertain both children and adult family members.
“The Burlington County Library System promotes learning inside our libraries and out in the communities we serve,” said BCLS Director Ranjna Das. “The new Riverton StoryWalk® is an example of our commitment to deliver resources to all. Improvements like this one are only possible because of the generosity of library benefactors and the work of essential partners like the BCLS Foundation and Riverton Borough.”
The Riverton StoryWalk® is the second developed by the library system. The first was constructed outside the BCLS Main Branch Library (5 Pioneer Boulevard in Westampton) alongside the Burlington County Amphitheater and launched in 2021.
The Dinosaur in the Garden by Deb Pilutti is currently on display at both the Riverton and Main Branch Library StoryWalk®s. Stories are typically changed every few months. Some of the previous titles that have been used at the BCLS Main Branch StoryWalk include: Explorers of the Wild by Cale Atkinson; The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds; All Are Neighbors by Alexandra Penfold, Illustrations by Suzanne Kaufman; Something, Someday by Amanda Gordon, Illustrations by Christian Robinson; In a Jar by Deborah Marcero; and The Hike by Alison Farrell.
Riverton Memorial Park is over a century-old. The borough purchased the 12-acre property in 1923 to serve residents of the small town. It was re-dedicated in 1931 in honor of Riverton residents who served during World War I.
The park is a short walk from the Riverton Free Library, which began in 1890’s. The library is housed in a Carpenter style cottage on Main Street that was donated in 1908 by Mrs. Edward H. Ogden in memory of her husband. The library became a branch in the Burlington County Library System in 2003.
StoryWalk® is an international movement that combines reading with physical activity in the great outdoors. The concept was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, who developed it in partnership with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
Similar projects have been installed in all 50 U.S. states and more than a dozen countries, including Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea.
“For more than a century, the Burlington County Library System has been a source of knowledge and a vehicle for bringing communities together,” said Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the BCLS. “We’re proud of all the services the library system offers, and we’re excited to see the addition of another StoryWalk® to engage young readers and families.”