Diana Andrew
Gazette contributor
It was a morning of pirates and magic at the Cowichan Lake branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library, Wednesday, August 17, when a whole crew of cutthroat kids gathered for a Pirate Picnic.
The event was part of this year’s Summer Reading Club festivities at the library.
There were plenty of laughs and gasps of disbelief as local magician Darren Charles wowed the capacity crowd with his illusions.
Over sixty kids and their parents enjoyed his act, then went to the mess table to chow down on plenty of grog and hardtack (lemonade and cheezies!).
Awards were handed out for the poster contest, with Divinity Arbic winning for the regular readers and Caleb Spooner winning for the Read-to-me group.
Spot prizes were won by a few lucky mates, but the whole crew took home their share of plundered booty.
Many thanks to the Silverstone Shop for donating a coffer of precious stones.
The library’s Summer Reading Club is a popular program that has kept kids reading even as they enjoy the lazy days of summer. 77 kids took part in the program at the Cowichan Lake branch with 20 finishing the full seven weeks and 49 reading sessions required to receive a medal.
The final event of the program is the Wrap-up Party at the branch, which will take place Saturday, September 10, starting at 11 a.m. Medals will be awarded and as well there will be a puppet show, prizes and refreshments. For more information, call the branch at 749-3431.