The Whitehall Township Public Library installed its first StoryWalk in early July with very little public hoopla. It just appeared one day.

“We were pushed to get it up because of the summer reading program,” library Director Susan Bielucke said.

Summer reading is historically the busiest time of the year for the library.

“Because it didn’t really have any introduction to the community, we are considering this summer as a ‘soft launch,’ and then it will come down for the winter,” Bielucke added. “Next year, maybe we can hold some sort of event to let more families know it’s there.”

A StoryWalk is exactly what it sounds like. Kids can walk a small, half-mile section of trail to find a story and some fun activities. To get there, find the Ironton Rail Trail at Saylor Park in Coplay, cross the road and head west on the IRT. You’ll find the first book pages on the left just after you enter.

The original idea of the StoryWalk was created by a librarian in Vermont in 2007, and they’ve been popping up in communities across the country since then. Bielucke said she realized there wasn’t one in the Whitehall vicinity so she thought it might be a good idea to bring one here.

Bielucke said she applied for and received a grant from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Charity to build the walk but needed a place to put it. The next step was approaching the Ironton Rail Trail Oversight Commission to see if it would allow her to place it along the trail. IRT commission members were gracious enough to allow it — and a partnership with the IRT was born.

The planning was done by Bielucke and other library staff, and the choice of placement along the trail was done in collaboration with the IRT.

The walk is aimed at toddler- to school-aged children and anyone who enjoys picture books. Any child who is still being read to, is learning to read or does some reading already would benefit from it. The panels include full-sized color pictures and some text.

There are usually about 17 panels for each book, each about 40 paces apart. Panels can be added or removed because some books may be a bit shorter or longer. They are at the right height to be viewed easily by children, and many include suggestions on activities to do while reading.

The panels are constructed from 18-inch-by-24-inch yard signs with metal framework that can be staked into the ground. Library staff must cut out the pages of the books, heavily laminate them and then Velcro them to the yard signs. The books are changed on a monthly basis.

The whole process is a bit labor intensive and time consuming.

Bielucke said they were lucky the state provided training on how to create the StoryWalk. She took the training and did research to learn how to construct the signs and place them at the proper intervals. She is also happy they were able to send out four different books with the express purpose of being used on the StoryWalk.

“It was the Office of Commonwealth Libraries that provided the four different titles we are currently using on the trail,” she said.

Bielucke said it was relatively easy to find the other materials needed for the project, with the exception of the lamination.

“We could have taken it somewhere to be laminated, but it has to be a really thick lamination to protect from the weather, so we ended up buying a laminator just for the book pages,” she said.

After all the pages were together and panels were built, library staff member Andrea Hargrove and IRT worker Joe Bundra spent about an hour staking in the panels, and the walk was ready for its first read. From beginning to end, the whole project took nine months, from grant application to installation.

“I liked the idea because it kind of engages the communities and families to be outside and active, but at the same time promoting literacy,” Bielucke said. “I came on board here in Whitehall in March of 2022 and it didn’t get done my first year, but we were fortunate enough to get the grant my second.”