Grants
Project Name: Ida Rupp Public Library StoryWalk
Project Location: Port Clinton
Ida Rupp Public Library has a new outdoor feature, a StoryWalk®. The StoryWalk® is a way to encourage children and adults to read a story together while enjoying the outdoors and healthy exercise. Twenty frames are arranged along a new handicap accessible concrete path. Each frame features a page from a story, or activities and facts related to enhance the featured story. A new story will be featured each month in the warmer months and as weather permits in the winter.
The StoryWalk® is located behind the library and is accessible from the library’s parking lot from West Third Street. In addition to the StoryWalk®, the newly designed space also includes an area to enhance the library’s outdoor programming. A small lawn with a paver area that can be used as a stage area for performances or other activities is at the center of the StoryWalk®. Benches are also arranged along the path for visitors to relax and enjoy the path, or check out a different book inside the library to enjoy while sitting along the StoryWalk®.
Landscaping will be added to the StoryWalk® in the spring of 2024. The planned landscaping will feature native plantings, trees and shrubs. The library hopes that the space will become an engaging and relaxing area for the community to enjoy for years to come. The library also hopes the StoryWalk® will expand the library’s presence into the neighborhood beyond the walls of the library.
The StoryWalk® was made possible in part by a generous donation from the Friends of Ida Rupp Public Library who covered half of the expenses of the project. A $15,000 grant from the Park District of Ottawa County also contributed to the completion of the project.