It was October of 2021 when StoryWalk was introduced at Bridgeport City Park. Project Coordinator Melanie Groves was thrilled with community support to launch the program which featured pages of a storybook printed on signs posted along the walking trail. Families could stroll the path and either read the pages or utilize a QR code to have the pages read to them.

 

Community members and businesses stepped up to sponsor the signs and the program thrived, showcasing the literary works of local authors.

 

The collaboration between Bridgeport Parks and Recreation, Bridgeport Public Library, and Bridgeport 4-H, StoryWalk returns in 2023 and this season, permanent signs have been installed at Bridgeport City Park. Volunteers met Tuesday to begin placing 20 posts and frames.The work continues today. These signs will replace the former ones, which were posterboard yard signs secured with metal stakes.

 

Groves said she is excited to see this project become permanent, ensuring that the signs will not be lost or uprooted. She said she has received numerous positive comments about the program.

 

“The feedback from the community has been tremendous and sweet,” she said. “Everyone is happy to have StoryWalk at City Park! We are so blessed to have support and the volunteers come out to help make this special project be permanently installed.”

 

The permanent signs have been sponsored by eight different community sponsors with most of the funding received through a grant from Sacred Heart Foundation.

 

Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Director Joe Shuttleworth said StoryWalk has proved to be a success at City Park and that the permanent signs will help preserve the pages and make it easier for patrons to locate and read.

 

 “The new signs are more aesthetically pleasing along the path and will draw more attention to it which should increase the usage,” he said. “We are excited to continue our partnership with StoryWalk, bridging literacy and physical activity for our community.”

 

Featured StoryWalk books have included “The Pugkin Patch” by Ashley Mossallati, “Piper the Elf” and “Mommy I Need a Hug” by Colleen Driscoll, “Sally Book Bunny and the Search for the Lost Key” by Michael Gorzka, “Chicks and the City” by Matt Browning, “Nugget’ Haircut” by Cathy Bonnstetter, “The Adventures of Rose and Miss Honeybee” by Cynthia Dobbins, and “Mella’s Box” by Hannah Povroznik.

 

The very first book featured in October of 2021, “Outside the Window” by Anna Smucker, will be the first book for 2023.

 

“This book will be featured in May and June with a new book featured July through August,” Groves said.

 

Groves was inspired to coordinate the local StoryWalk after experiencing Morgantown’s Fairytale Trail. A substitute teacher at the time, she knew first-hand that her students preferred reading outside to inside, so she took steps to implement the program here in Bridgeport. 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured above are Melanie and Matt Groves.