Ky. First Lady, Miss Kentucky celebrate reading at Whitley North Elementary

Erin Cox, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.
·2 min read

Nov. 17—ROCKHOLDS — Whitley North Elementary School welcomed Kentucky's First Lady Britainy Beshear and Miss Kentucky Hannah Edelen as well as over 100 students, family members and community members for Family Reading Night on Tuesday.

The event was in celebration of opening a Little Free Library at the entrance of the school. Little Free Libraries are community libraries where people can place books to share with others or take books.

Edelen said in a social media post that she "had pitched an idea about putting a little library up in Whitley County to a good friend, Jacob Paul with Oakwood Homes — as part of my work with Read Ready Kentucky/America."

"Weeks later, Jacob had ordered the library and his sister, Megan (or Mrs. Newman as the kids know her) had worked to have it established at their elementary school," she added.

The school hosted a ribbon cutting for the library unveiling as well as listening to books read aloud from the special guests.

Beshear talked to the students prior to the little free library unveiling explaining November is National Family Literacy Month.

"It's a gift that keeps giving," she said about reading. "it's a joy that caregivers and children can share with each other."

She said reading is one of her favorite things to do.

"This new little free library is a great opportunity to share our favorite stories with friends and neighbors. It allows reading to be a community activity and it makes getting books easier and more accessible," she said.

"Nothing is more special than getting to share a really good story," she added.

Edelen shared with the students about how she found reading to be hard when she was younger.

She said her grandma told her they needed to practice and that if you learn to read, you can build a big, bold life and if her grandma said it, she knew it must be true.

Now she is Miss Kentucky, so she knows her grandma was right.

Beshear encouraged parents and caregivers to read with their kids for as long as they can.

"The longer you keep reading the more full your life will feel. You'll never stop being curious about what is out there because there is always something new to explore in a book," she said.