More Than 300 Local Children Join Senator Ritchie to "Rock Into Summer"

State Senator Patty Ritchie was joined by more than 300 children from throughout St. Lawrence County Monday afternoon for her ‘Rock’ Into Summer, event. The fun-filled day was designed to encourage young people to get outside and get active, as well as to read throughout the summer.

'Rock’ Into Summer, which was co-hosted by the Ogdensburg Public Library, featured a scavenger hunt for special, painted rocks—decorated by Ogdensburg City School District students—that children turned in for prizes.  Children also took part in activities such as story time and crafts provided by the Ogdensburg Public Library, as well as enjoyed free snacks offered by Senator Ritchie, including cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones.

“For children, summer is all about getting outdoors and having fun,” said Senator Ritchie. “I hope this event helped them to not only get their summer off to a good start, but also encouraged them to pick up a book and read in the coming weeks. I would like to thank those who attended ‘Rock’ Into Summer, as well as the Ogdensburg Public Library for partnering with me to make the event possible.”

“Just because students won’t be in the classroom over the summer, doesn’t mean they need to stop learning,” said Ogdensburg Public Library Youth Services Librarian Dorian Lenney-Wallace. “We would like to thank Senator Ritchie for partnering with us to host this event, and hope children were inspired to make reading a part of their summer routine.”

In addition, those attending the event had the opportunity to sign up for Senator Ritchie’s Summer Reading Program, “Libraries Rock”. The program allows children to track the books they read in the coming months and at the end of the summer, each participant will receive a special certificate from Senator Ritchie. You can sign your children up for the Summer Reading Program by clicking here.