Local families are invited to an afternoon of fun at Polk County Public Library in Columbus! Come meet the heroes in our community such as police officers, firefighters, and park rangers on Wednesday, June 17 from 2-4 p.m. There will also be face painting, games, crafts, a photo booth, dogs for adoption, and more!

Participating organizations include Big Brothers Big Sisters, Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry, Lions Club, Pacolet Area Conservancy, Chimney Rock State Park, Foothills Humane Society, Polk County EMS, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Fire Department, Columbus Police Department, Polk Equine Emergency Rescue, and Girl Scouts of America. Bring an unexpired, non-perishable food item to donate to Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry and you will be entered to win passes to Chimney Rock State Park.

Community Hero Day is part of Polk County Public Library’s Summer Reading program. Youth ages 0-18 can register at the Columbus or Saluda libraries to earn prizes for the time they spend reading this summer. There are also free events for children’s and teens throughout the summer.

Teen events for those in grades 6-12 are at the Columbus library on Monday afternoons and children’s events are at in Columbus on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons and in Saluda on Wednesday mornings.

For a full events calendar, visit polklibrary.org or a PCPL location. Some programs require advanced registration. Thank you to the generous organizations who helped make 2015 Summer Reading possible: Friends of the Polk County Public Library, Polk County Community Foundation, Green River Adventures, The Gorge Zipline, Feagan Law Firm, Autumn Care, Green River BBQ, Chimney Rock State Park, PRO Physical Therapy, St. Luke’s Hospital, and Wildflour Bakery. All events are free and open to the public.

Polk County Public Library has a Main Library in Columbus and a branch in Saluda, as well as a bookmobile that travels throughout Polk County. PCPL offers books, movies, music, audiobooks, and downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, as well as public computers and wireless Internet access.

– Submitted by Jen Pace