A new activity designed to promote reading, physical activity and family togetherness in the great outdoors is set to be unveiled early next month at the Stratford City Park.
The new “Trails & Tales” is a StoryWalk that will include 20 permanent display stations placed around the playground and pavilion area at the park. Each station will feature a page or two of a children’s picture book, other 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 is spearheading the project.
The original StoryWalk Project was introduced in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Ferguson was working as a chronic disease prevention specialist at the time, and the project was a way to encourage families in her area to be physically active.
Since 2007, StoryWalks have been installed in 50 states and 13 countries. More than 14 Oklahoma communities currently have StoryWalks installed. Stratford’s Trails & Tales will be the second walk to be installed in Garvin County.
“I think it’s really a winwin for everybody,” Jors said. “And it’s for all ages, that’s one of the things I really like about it.”
Jors said she anticipates the content in the displays will change every three to four weeks and will sometimes contain other types of conceptual information beyond children’s picture books.
“For example, during September we might highlight Oklahoma tribes in honor of Native American Day. In November, the Stratford FFA will partner with us to display information about local veterans. During our town’s annual peach festival, we can describe the different varieties of peaches or provide information about the history of our town. The sky’s the limit on what we can do and offer,” Jors said. “We’re really excited about it.”
The intention to use the displays for multiple purposes is one of the reasons organizers have steered away from using the trademarked StoryWalk in the project’s name allowing for a greater range of options.
The project has already gained assistance and volunteers from all areas of the community.
Crews from the Town of Stratford have been preparing the trail for installation of the display signs in recent weeks, and Stratford FFA members have volunteered to install the posts beginning next week. Student volunteers from Stratford’s SAFE program are expected to help change out displays, clean stations and pickup litter from the park on a weekly basis, once the walk is open to visitors.
“This is definitely not a one-person thing. It’s going to take a village to do this and pull it off and keep it going,” Jors said, adding the library is looking for community members willing to invest time or funds to the ongoing project.
A $10,000 Healthy Initiative Grant from TSET and a pledge from the Chickasaw Nation have provided the bulk of the estimated $15,000 in startup costs for the project, but Jors is still working to collect sponsorships and donations for the remainder, as well as funds to purchase additional books for the displays and maintain the walk moving forward.
A community-wide kickoff event to mark the opening of Trails & Tales is planned for Saturday, Nov. 5, from 2-4 p.m. at the Stratford City Park. The kickoff will include an official ribbon-cutting, games and activities, food trucks and booths.
Anyone interesting in donating time or money to the Trails & Tales project, or in sponsoring the kickoff event, should contact Teresia Jors at 580-759-2684, or by email at tjors@stratford.k12.ok.us.
