Polk County Libraries will host a grand opening for its Music Garden and will kick off its Summer Learning Program on Saturday, June 10.

The event takes place at 1 p.m. at the Columbus Library and the first 100 attendees of the ribbon cutting will receive a free snow cone.

Along with the ribbon cutting, there will be balloon creations, a musical craft, Summer Learning Program sign-ups, a guided hike with Polk County Parks & Recreation, and lots of musical fun.

The Music Garden, which will be located off of the children’s area at the Columbus Library, is being decided to author Lilian Jackson Braun, who was known for her “The Cat Who…” mystery series, and her husband Earl Bettinger, who were Polk County residents before they died.

The Music Garden will be accessible during the library’s open hours.

This event will also be a great time to sign-up for the Summer Learning Program.

The learning incentive program runs for eight weeks, until August 6, and is sponsored by the Friends of the Polk County Public Libraries.

If you are a kid or teen (from babies to rising 12th graders), you sign up and pick up a packet at the library that contains a brag tag to start your collection, eight learning goal bookmarks, and a list of learning goal ideas. Each week, set and achieve two learning goals and write your goals on the bookmark. Then return your completed bookmark for a new brag tag, an entry into our weekly prize drawing, and an entry into our grand prize drawings! 

There’s also an adult program. Adults complete 25 various challenges throughout the summer. For every five challenges you complete, you are entered into the grand prize drawings for gift cards to local businesses.

If you can’t attend the event on June 10, you can sign-up beginning on June 12 at Columbus Library, Saluda Library, or online using ReadSquared.