September 3, 2026, Seward Folly

Special from The Seward Community Library & Museum (SCLM)

The Seward Community Library & Museum (SCLM) is celebrating the conclusion of its 2026 Summer Reading Program, “Plant a Seed, Read,” with an incredible season of reading, learning, creativity, and community connection.

This year’s program brought together 302 readers, including 123 children, 17 teens, and 161 adults. Participants collectively read an astonishing 372,056 minutes — the equivalent of 258 days, or approximately 8.4 months, of continuous reading!

The 2026 program also featured 22 events, with 188 total program attendances and 64 book reviews submitted by participants.

The 2026 program saw significant growth compared to last summer. Participation increased from 272 readers in 2025 to 302 this year, while total reading time jumped from 220,773 minutes to 372,056 minutes — an increase of more than 151,000 minutes of reading.

Throughout the summer, “Plant a Seed, Read” encouraged participants to explore the many ways food, nature, agriculture, and reading connect us to our community. The second half of the program featured a wide variety of hands-on activities and community partnerships.

Imaginative Farm Play and Knife Skills Workshop. Photos by Karen Cooper McLoughlin

Highlights included an Imaginative Farm Play experience at Timberline Learning Center, where children explored what life is like on a working farm; a Knife Skills workshop taught by AVTEC culinary instructor Sadie Allen; and a Read & Grow Scavenger Hunt that encouraged children and families to explore the library while building early literacy skills.

Ocean to Table, Buzz, Plant, Read and Paws and Pages. Photos by Karen Cooper McLoughlin

Participants also traveled beyond the library for programs with community partners. The Alaska SeaLife Center hosted From Ocean to Table: What ASLC Animals Eat, exploring marine animal diets and ocean health. The Seward Children’s Museum hosted Buzz, Plant, Read!, where young children planted seeds and learned about the relationship between plants and pollinators. At the Seward Animal Shelter, young readers participated in Paws & Pages, reading to shelter animals while helping build reading confidence and providing companionship to pets awaiting their forever homes.

From the top: History of Donuts presentation, Nature Color Wheel table, Food Portraits, the Vachowski Farm and end of program pizza party. Photos by Karen Cooper McLoughlin

Other summer highlights included a Fruits & Veggies Perler Bead Craft, The History of Donuts with food historian Claire Dilday, a Nature Color Wheel workshop with artist Marissa Beck, Food Portraits at the Teen Rec Room, and a tour of Vachowski Farm where participants got to see pigs, chickens, and turkeys and learn about growing food locally.

The program wrapped up August 13, with an End-of-Summer Reading Program Pizza Party at the Seward Community Library & Museum.

“Summer Reading is about so much more than the number of books or minutes read,” said Karen Cooper McLoughlin, Deputy Director and Programs Coordinator at SCLM. “It gives our community a chance to come together, try something new, discover local resources, and build positive relationships around reading and learning. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated and to all of the local organizations, businesses, artists, educators, and community members who helped make this summer such a success.”

SCLM extends a special thank-you to all of the community partners and program leaders who contributed their time, knowledge, and creativity to this year’s Summer Reading Program. Their involvement helped make “Plant a Seed, Read” a truly community-wide experience.

Our Partners
A heartfelt thank‑you to all our community partners who make this program possible.

Legacy Sponsors ($2,000):
• Seward Community Library Association
• Seward Rotary

Cultivator Sponsor ($500):
• Seward Prevention Coalition

Program & Prize Sponsors:
Forests, Tides & Treasures • Dr. Moriarty Seward Family Dentistry • Sean Ulman • Teen Rec Room • Seward Community Garden by the Bay • Seward Animal Shelter • Kenai Fjords National Park • Seward Farmers Market • Timberline Learning Center • Alaska SeaLife Center • Seward Children’s Museum • Claire Dilday • Sadie Allen • Marissa Beck • Cassie Vachowski & family

As the Summer Reading Program comes to a close, SCLM encourages everyone to keep reading, keep learning, and keep growing all year long.

2026 Summer Reading Program by the Numbers

• 302 total participants
  • 123 children
  • 17 teens
  • 161 adults
• 372,056 minutes read
• 258 days of continuous reading
• Approximately 8.4 months of reading collectively
• 22 Summer Reading Program events
• 188 program attendances
• 64 book reviews submitted
• 104 program completers

Karen Cooper McLoughlin
Deputy Director & Programs Coordinator
Seward Community Library & Museum
kmcloughlin@cityofseward.net