VALDOSTA — After the Valdosta-Lowndes County Library Summer Reading Program produced more than 2,000 participants and literally thousands of hours of reading, a Summer Celebration was only natural.

“This is the grand finale to the Summer Reading Program,” said Halley Little, community relations coordinator. “After seeing how well the program went, we felt like we needed to do something of this magnitude to celebrate the success of having thousands of program participants and hours read.”

The Summer Celebration was held on Saturday, August from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and, according to Little, the event hosted more than 800 people, who came out to enjoy snow cones, a bounce house, face painting, storytimes, door prizes, and other entertainment free of charge.

Matthew and Catherine Gerber, accompanied by their dad, Brian, picked up free toothbrushes and tattoos from Kool Smiles General Dentistry for Kids. “This was a great event. They had music and community inside the library,” said Brian Gerber. “The reading program presented a great atmosphere where kids could sit and read, and this celebration rewards them for all the reading that they’ve done throughout the summer. During the summer, most children’s skills decline in reading because they watch a lot of television, but programs like this keep their reading skills sharp and prepared for the new school year.”

Arielle Hook, 11, participated in the 2008 Summer Reading Program and was present during the Summer Celebration to enjoy the entertainment and volunteer to serve refreshments. “I read 102 books during the summer because I wanted to win a prize and get myself prepared for my first year of middle school,” said Hooks.

Joyce Oglesby, author and motivational speaker, attended the Summer Celebration to speak to people about the importance of reading and talking about her new book, “Keeping His Pants On Until He Gets Home.” The motivational books discusses the importance of the preservation of marriage and family. “I was asked to participate by the library who thought I would be beneficial to the community,” said Oglesby, “I feel like marriages are in trouble because of lack of commitment; the family unit is no longer intact. So any time when I can expose these foundation principles, I cease the opportunity.”

Oglesby traveled from Indiana to Valdosta for the second time within a month to share a message and her book with the Valdosta community. “I talked to so many people today, and I have a meeting coming up with Moody this week to discuss possibly talking to troops and left-behind spouses.” Oglesby uses her experience as a court reporter or clerk and business owning wife of a minister for 36 years to convey simple yet influential messages about the preservation of the family unit to her readers and communities.

Doug Duvall of Waldenbooks was at the Summer Celebration as part of a kick-off for a book drive to help build the Valdosta-Lowndes County Library’s collection, and District Health conducted free HIV tests. Shaun Harper, a classical guitarist, impressed the crowd with musical selection while Poetic Magic delivered the gift of spoken word. The Valdosta-Lowndes County Library also gave a Powerpoint presentation that recapped all the library events throughout the summer.

Grace McCrae, formerly of Valdosta, was in town from Brunswick and stopped by the library to do some homework and had the opportunity to enjoy the Summer Celebration. “I just enjoyed listening to Poetic Magic. This is one of the biggest turnouts that I’ve ever seen since my son was in the program. The Summer Celebration is a good trip or outing for kids, and it’s centrally located for great community participation throughout the city,” said McCrae.

“I’d like to thank the community who supported us by participating in the Summer Reading Program,” said Little. Kelly Lenz said, “We appreciate the community’s support to the library, and we hope to have more of these events to celebrate the success of next year’s Summer reading Program.”

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Library, part of the South Georgia Regional Library system, will host an election day celebration entitled “All American All Together” on Nov. 4 in support of the importance of reading and voting.