Meet the characters in person with Storybridge Live Oct. 14
Storybridge invites the community as they host their third Storybridge Live at Hodgetown on Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon.
This year will feature 14 well-known book characters, including crowd favorites from last year's event as well as some new characters such as Clifford the Big Red Dog, Frog and Toad, Fly Guy and Green Crayon. During the event, each child will receive a souvenir autograph card and have access to say hello to each of the characters.
Children will also be able to enjoy face painting, balloon artists, pick their own free books, and much more.
Like previous events, Storybridge will include their Book Trailer where children can choose a book to take home for free. The children can choose a book from reading levels spanning from picture books to chapter books and a variety of genres including fantasy, educational, non-fiction and more.
"We make sure we have opportunities at everything we do for kids to add to their home libraries. Our mission is to make sure that every kid has 20 high quality age appropriate books at home that they love and they get to choose for themselves, and so we will offer that at Storybridge Live with our book trailer," Chandra Perkins, founder and director of Storybridge said.
Perkins said this third annual event has been modified to include ease of access and shorter wait times in the lines for attendees from their first year. This event is Storybridge's major fundraiser, and this year the nonprofit hopes to raise $70,000 to fund their five programs, including Free Book Fairs, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Kinderbridge, Summer Storytimes, and Little Free Libraries.
Storybridge's mission is to to ensure all area children own at least 20 age-appropriate books at home from birth through elementary school.
For the first time this year, attendees will also be able to take their completed character stamp cards to an on-site book store sponsored by Texas Tech pediatrics to choose an additional brand new book of their choice, allowing children to leave the space with two free books.
"From the first year, we saw how crowded it was, so we added another hour last year. And again this year, we really wanted the experience to be positive for families, and so we tried to figure out a way to make the lines shorter and the experience a little more relaxed and comfortable for the whole family," Perkins said.
According to Perkins, like last year, parents can also purchase the special early access ticket, which allows children the chance to beat the crowd's tickets by attending from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Early access tickets are limited and available online at https://www.storybridgeama.org/storybridge-live.html for $10.
General admission will be available online and at the door for $5. Attendees are also encouraged to come dressed as their favorite book character.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Experience the magic of books with Storybridge Live
