When looking for places to take the family, don’t underestimate the value of events hosted by your local library or city. My daughter and I recently attended a fantastic “Literacy Festival” organized by the City of Richmond, the Richmond Public Library, Friends of the Library, and a group of dedicated community partners. The event offered free books, a make-your-own-book workshop, musical entertainment, author reading and signing, and lunch for the whole family.

Guided by the theme “Building a Brighter Future One Page at a Time,” the day was both enriching and fun. While we didn’t win one of the many raffle giveaways (tickets were given upon entering), we came home with over a dozen books, got to meet children’s author JaNay Brown-Wood, and created a book about colors filled with feathers, handprints, butterflies, and flowers—thanks to LaVera Wilson, who generously provided all the materials.

Lunch included sandwiches, chips, and cookies, and the day ended with my daughter joyfully taking home a balloon. I even got to snap a photo with someone dressed as an old-school library checkout card.

We’re excited to attend even more family-friendly events hosted by the City of Richmond this summer. To find upcoming events and classes—including a fun adult embroidery class—check out the City of Richmond’s calendar here:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/calendar.aspx?view=list&year=2025&month=5&day=17