The ribbon is cut for the StoryWalk in downtown Newberry. Pictured, left to right: Alison Bowers (First Steps Board), Sarah Eargle (First Steps), Sheridan Murray (Newberry Museum), Mary Alex Kopp (City of Newberry).
Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer
Sarah Eargle, with First Steps, holds a copy of “Night at the Museum” the first book to be featured on the Downtown Newberry StoryWalk.
Andrew Wigger | The Newberry Observer
NEWBERRY — The streets of Historic Downtown Newberry now tell a story in more ways than one. The pages of children’s books now line shop windows thanks to a collaborative partnership spurred by Newberry County First Steps with the Newberry Museum and City of Newberry.
According to Sarah Eargle with First Steps, “StoryWalk is a fun, educational activity that places the pages from a children’s story along a walking route. They can be places along a path in a park, on storefronts down Main Street, or on the walls of a long hallway, etc. Conceived as a way to inspire parents, teachers, and other adults to take young children outdoors to enjoy reading stories together, StoryWalk helps build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy outdoor activity for both children and their grown-ups. It promotes literacy, physical activity, family time, and community. Newberry First Steps will be partnering with the Newberry Museum and City of Newberry to provide new books and related materials on a monthly basis.”
“I am so excited to introduce the StoryWalk to Newberry County. Basically, you take a book apart and you create an outdoor space along a trail or pathway and people can come and read a book as they walk around,” Eargle said during the official ribbon cutting hosted by the Newberry County Chamber of Commerce. “It is a fun, family activity with some physical activity in there to enjoy the outdoors together. We are really excited to work with the Newberry Museum and the City of Newberry to put this together.”
The Downtown Newberry StoryWalk’s first book “A Night at the Museum” is now on display in many of downtown’s Main Street storefront windows. The book will remain up through the month of March, with new books and new walking routes planed monthly. The books pages are laminated and mounted in the windows at low heights for little readers. All are welcome and encouraged to come to downtown Newberry to read and walk along. All books will start at the downtown directory kiosk located in front of Community Hall at 1209 Caldwell Street.
“The Newberry Museum is so excited to partner with Newberry County First Steps and the City of Newberry to provide this interactive reading experience downtown. We are hoping that the StoryWalk will help connect learners of all ages with the museum, showcasing books with a connection to current exhibits, and helping families get out and about safely while they engage with fabulous educational content,” said Sheridan Murray executive director of the Newberry Museum.
“We’d like to thank all of the businesses who are willing to host the pages of this and future StoryWalks in downtown Newberry. We are hopeful that this project will spur new visitors to downtown and encourage young families to become invested in our city center. Downtown is meant to be a space for everyone. We hope that the simple joy brought by a nice walk with family and reading children’s books that spur creativity and thought will put us another step in the direction of making downtown a more clearly inclusive and welcoming space,” said Mary Alex Kopp, tourism and events manager for the City of Newberry
For a complete map listing of the 14 participating storefronts for the March 2021 “Night at the Museum” StoryWalk follow this link: https://rb.gy/4mqf7g
For more information, call 803-321-1015. Follow the City of Newberry on social media @CityofNewberry/@CityofNewberrySC (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).