Kids Derby Day on Saturday

By SANDRA RHODES

There will be plenty of horsing around at the Bradford Area Public Library on Saturday, April 16 – and library officials are all for it.

That’s when the Kids Derby Day will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. The library, located at 67 W. Washington St., started the Kids Derby to add to the “Triple Crown” of events leading up to the Derby Gala held the same day as the Kentucky Derby.

“We wanted to offer the same fun festivities to the children that the adults get to partake in at the Derby Gala,” said Stephanie Parsons, children’s program coordinator at the library. “The children get to come play, create and expand their minds in their Derby experience.”

This includes the children making their own Derby hats, design a horse, guess at trivia, make a horse cookie, play games, listen to stories, get a chance to name and autograph a plush horse and even ride a real horse. The event is free and open to all ages, Parsons said, adding, “It is truly a family program.” Parents are encouraged to bring their own cameras to capture those special moments.

The focus of the day is two-fold, Parsons said. First, officials hope that the children will broaden their general knowledge about the Kentucky Derby and its place in U.S. history and culture. Second, it also gives the kids to learn what the library has to offer.

“It is very important that the kids be a part of the Triple Crown event because we as the library feel we need to offer as much culture and entertaining, educational experiences for the children and their families in the community,” Parsons said.

“The library is a fantastic resource for our community,” she said. “By getting a child to visit the library, you offer two things – expanding your child’s mind
with knowledge and creativity with each book they read and the more familiar and
comfortable a child becomes with their library, the more likely they will use their library throughout their entire life.”

The library also hosts events for children throughout the year, including Preschool Story Hour and a children’s program on Saturday mornings.

“The library takes pride in providing programs to children in our community for free all year round,” Parsons said.

The Triple Crown of events that have become a staple in the Bradford community each spring were developed to raise awareness and money for the BAPL Endowment Fund, which was established in 1984.

This year, the first leg of the Triple Crown was the Derby Tea, which was held in March. The “mane” event - the Derby Gala - will be held Saturday, May 7, at the
Pennhills Club.

In addition to the horse race and the ever popular hat parade, there will also be a live auction, southern cuisine and casino night. More information on the Derby Gala is forthcoming. For more information on the Triple Crown of events, contact the Bradford Area Public Library.

Stephanie Parsons will be on 1490 WESB's LiveLine at 12:35 p.m. Wednesday.