Stratford will be celebrating its new Trails and Tales StoryWalk with a community- wide kickoff event March 4 from 2-4 p.m. in the Stratford Town Park at Patterson and 7th Street.
The Trails and Tales walk was installed at the park last fall and includes 20 permanent display stations placed around the park. Each station is designed to feature a page or two of a children’s picture book, additional information, or activities to engage visitors as they walk from station to station.
“The basic idea is that you use a children’s picture book, and you go from one to the next – about 40 paces between each – and you read the book the entire way,” said librarian Teresia Jors with Stratford’s Chandler-Watts Memorial Library, which spearheaded the project.
For the March kickoff event and ribbon cutting, Trails and Tales will feature the children’s book “Funny Fani'” by Wiley Barnes and illustrated by Lokosh (Joshua D. Hinson). Barnes will be on hand during the event to sign copies of the book, which will also be offered for sale.
Other activities planned for the event include inflatables, stick ball, archery tag, face painting, a farm animal petting zoo, dog training demonstrations and informational booths.
Stratford’s Chandler-Watts Memorial Library will also be collecting donations to support Pauls Valley P.A.W.S. during the community kickoff event. P.A.W.S. staff will be in attendance to visit with residents, offer dogs for adoption and share low-cost spay and neuter options available for area pets.
Participating food vendors will include Smoke Signals BBQ, which will be offering pulled pork sandwiches for $5 or a meal for $8.
Stratford’s Trails and Tales was made possible by a $10,000 TSET grant, funding from the Chickasaw Nation and community donations. The trail was originally set to be dedicated in November, but that event had to be postponed due to weather.
In the event of inclement weather for the March 4 date, the kickoff celebration will be moved to the Stratford Elementary Gymnasium.
For more information about Trails and Tales or the kick-off celebration contact Teresia Jors at tjors@stratford. k12.ok.us or 580-759-- 2684.
