As America turns 250, Nassau County’s libraries are seizing the opportunity to share national history with a local twist.
The Merrick Library will host the ‘Merricka 250 Block Party on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. — one of many events that capture the all-American spirit of the celebration.
“We have our America 250 block party, so we’re going to have live music,” said Christina Bonfiglio-Scali, head of community engagement at the library.
“We are going to have lawn games, live music, crafts. We’re doing barbecue hot dogs that are free, popsicles, and the Nassau Library Techmobile is going to be here.”
The festival also offers young attendees an opportunity to engage in the library’s summer reading challenge.
“Summer learning is always important, and we always approach it in a kind of multimodal format,” Head Librarian Rachel Sferlazza said. “For America 250, our activity challenge is all about local historical sites throughout our town, getting children to know not just their neighborhood, but also their shared history here in Merrick.
This year, young people are provided with Adventure Passport booklets, used in tandem with the six-week summer reading challenge. As part of their summer reading registration bag, participants will have information about different historical sites around town that they can visit. Some sites involve trivia questions, or challenges like borrowing books about New York State history at the library. For each activity they complete, they earn a raffle ticket towards gift baskets at the end of the summer.
“It’s another way of promoting literacy and critical thinking, but that doesn’t require sitting in a chair for a long period of time. It’s get up, get outside, which is always important in the summer, and go explore your shared history,” Sferlazza continued. “In other words, reading is crucial, and the more that you read, the more that you know, and the more that you know, the more that you grow.”
The Merrick Library is an affiliate of the Nassau Library System, which is supporting celebrations of America’s 250th anniversary in over 30 libraries across the county.
“We gathered over 125 events, and we compile them into a printed catalog that’s available at all of the participating libraries,” said Lisa Zuena, communications marketing specialist for the NLS. “It’s informative lectures, crafts, and games, there’s concerts, and some reenactments from different impersonators and it’s for all ages too: it’s children’s programs, teen programs, and adult programs, in person and virtual, going on in all of these libraries.”
Events at libraries partnered with NLS are free.
“Libraries are community hubs, the cornerstones of lots of communities, and we see libraries too as just cornerstones of American democracy,” Zuena said. “We do have our core principles of freedom, community, civic engagement. That’s why we wanted to gather all of these events in one place and let people know that the library is the place that people can go to learn more and also to have fun during this really exciting time.”
Nassau Library System Director Caroline Ashby encouraged community members to review the NLS selection of events.
“Whether your idea of fun is a Blues music performance, a lecture about Long Island’s role in the Revolution, or a patriotic craft project, the Library is the perfect place to reflect on our nation’s history,” she said. “Libraries have done a tremendous job showcasing American life and we hope everyone will celebrate at an America 250 at the Library event. There is truly something for everyone.”
To learn more, visit nassaulibrary.org/250 for more information.
