There are also free family movies most Fridays,
with such fare as “Ralph Wrecks the Internet”
and “The Incredibles 2.”
Deb Leckband has worked for the Woodbury
County Library in Moville for 22 years. She said
the participation in the summer reading contest
has “slightly dropped” over the years, but the
longtime trend she’s seen is that the main
participants run from first through third grades.
“We realize there is swimming and ballgames
and a lot to compete with,” Leckband said.
Dunn said she doesn’t feel the technological pull
of smartphone applications and other options
have dug too deeply into kids who might
otherwise read more. However, Leckband feels
differently, with the impression technology has
lured away some kids who in prior years would
have been open to reading programs.
Not all libraries still run a competitive reading
program, where leaders get awards for the most
reading. The Moville reading contest gives awards
for those who read the most books, although a
few years ago, that was measured by minutes.
Overall, Dunn said the city summer reading
program gets the participation of about
2,500 children.
In Moville, a town of 1,700 people, Leckband
said about 30 to 40 children will get involved
in the reading contest and chart their books,
although higher numbers come for the weekly
Thursday programming. In Moville over the
years, that has included a visiting group of Sioux
Falls Zoo animals, exhibits from the Dorothy
Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City and a family
team that juggled while on unicycles.