The Harvin Clarendon County Library’s front lawn was a joyful splash of color, bubbles, and giggles on Saturday, May 31, as families poured in for the first-ever Summer Literacy Messtival — a messy, hands-on celebration designed to make reading fun.
Hosted by the library and themed “Color Our World,” the event was made possible through an early literacy grant from Save the Children and brought in hundreds of local children and their families for face painting, art stations, story time, and free books.
“I think it went really well,” said Library Director Holly Cockfield. “It’s funny — about 10 minutes before 10 a.m., I started to panic that no one would show up, and then it felt like everybody showed up all at once.”
The event featured appearances by popular children’s characters including Elsa, Bluey, and Chase from Paw Patrol, thanks to Glass Slipper Solutions. For Cockfield, seeing the look on children’s faces when the characters arrived was a moment she won’t soon forget.
“The surprise and joy — that was definitely the most memorable part for me,” she said.
The outdoor space transformed into a creative playground with a paint station complete with spray guns, stamps, and poster boards, and a massive bubble area with oversized wands and buckets to create bubbles as big as the kids making them. Inside the library, families gathered around tables for board games and crafts. Attendees were also treated to free refreshments, including coffee and drinks from Jilly Beans and ice cream from Carolina Sweet Shoppe.
The Messtival’s main goal was to promote literacy by changing the way kids interact with books and the library.
“It shows them that literacy and libraries are fun,” Cockfield said. “It allows us to meet them where they are and what they enjoy doing. It’s not boring or a chore — it can be exciting and an overall fun activity.”
The event was staffed by a dedicated team of library employees and volunteers, including Cockfield, Cathi Kersten, Victoria Plowden, Bevin Davis, Jennifer Powell, Shinasty Briggs, Patricia Ragin, and Darlene Bryant.
In addition to library staff and volunteers, the event was supported by several community partners, including Clarendon County 4-H, which brought baby chicks and ducks, as well as First Steps, the Clarendon County Coalition, SNAP-Ed, the Diaper Bank, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Department, and the Manning Police Department.
Books were available free of charge for every child who attended. While an exact number wasn’t recorded, Cockfield estimated several hundred were given away throughout the morning.
Save the Children is a nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of children through education, health, and advocacy in some of the nation’s most underserved communities. The group reached out to the library earlier this year and encouraged them to apply for the early literacy grant. The library was awarded the grant in March and used it to fund the Messtival’s supplies, activities, and hundreds of free books given away during the event.
While the future of the event will depend on funding, Cockfield said she’d love to bring it back next year if possible.
In the meantime, the Harvin Clarendon County Library has a full calendar of summer programming for all ages:
Story Time is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. for children from birth to age five.
Junior Garden Club meets Mondays at 1 p.m. for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Weekly performers visit Thursdays at 1 p.m. for all ages.
Tech Fridays offer engaging tech-based programming for teens ages 12 to 18 at 2 p.m.
For more information on upcoming programs, visit the Harvin Clarendon County Library or follow them on Facebook.
