{"id":70140,"date":"2026-06-10T19:46:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T23:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=70140"},"modified":"2026-06-10T19:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T23:46:52","slug":"the-lakeland-public-library-system-is-leaning-heavily-into-prehistoric-fun-for-its-2026-summer-programming-creating-a-jurassic-polk-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/06\/10\/the-lakeland-public-library-system-is-leaning-heavily-into-prehistoric-fun-for-its-2026-summer-programming-creating-a-jurassic-polk-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"The Lakeland Public Library system is leaning heavily into prehistoric fun for its 2026 summer programming, creating a “Jurassic Polk” experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Lakeland Public Library system is leaning heavily into prehistoric fun for its 2026 summer programming, creating a “Jurassic Polk” experience that stretches across generations.<\/sup> Running from June 1st through July 24th, the lineup features distinct paths for kids, teens, and adults.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Here is a breakdown of the headline events and clubs kicking off this season at the Main Library and the Larry R. Jackson Branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83e\udd96 For Kids & Families: Hands-On & High Energy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The children’s program, themed “Reading Roars!”<\/strong>, pairs weekly reading goals and prizes with high-energy interactive events.<\/sup> No registration is required for these kid-centric programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Dino Fridays (Main Library):<\/strong> Every select Friday from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, kids ages 5\u201313 can dive into themed crafts and projects. Upcoming highlights include Cool Carnivores<\/em> (June 12) and Prehistoric Gliders<\/em> (June 26). (Note: Take-home kits are available on weeks when the library closes for holidays, like June 19).<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Monday Fun Days (Jackson Branch):<\/strong> Running select Mondays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM for ages 5\u201313, featuring messy, hands-on activities like Herbivores & Gliders<\/em> (June 15) and Volcanoes & Asteroids<\/em> (June 29).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reptile Discovery! (Main Library):<\/strong> On Tuesday, June 16 at 4:30 PM, reptile expert Bruce Shwedick hosts an all-ages presentation featuring live turtles, an alligator, a crocodile, snakes, and lizards to bridge the gap between dinosaurs and modern reptiles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Dino Playtime (Jackson Branch):<\/strong> Fridays at 2:00 PM, a dedicated sensory playtime designed for toddlers (ages 0\u20135) to support motor skill and social-emotional development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • T-Rex Tea Party (Jackson Branch):<\/strong> Saturday, July 11 at 10:00 AM, a dinosaur-themed story, craft, and snack time for kids ages 3\u20138 (dressing up is encouraged).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83c\udfac For Teens & Adults: “Summer at the Museum”<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The teen and adult track shifts the focus to a gallery-style journey exploring eras from “Deep Time” to the modern edge of tomorrow.<\/sup> Participants can earn raffle entries for high-value grand prizes, including a year-long family membership to the Orlando Science Center<\/strong> or a sponsor membership to The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art<\/strong>.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Cinema-Saurus Movie Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Hosted in the Main Library Meeting Room at 4:00 PM. It is open to all ages, though kids 13 and under require an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • June 11:<\/strong> Jurassic Park<\/em> (1993)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • July 9:<\/strong> The Lost World: Jurassic Park<\/em> (1997)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Dinosaurs & Discussions Book Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      A dedicated summer reading discussion series for adults (18+), diving into the sci-fi thrillers that started it all. Discussions meet at 5:30 PM at the Main Library:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • June 25:<\/strong> Jurassic Park<\/em> by Michael Crichton<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • July 23:<\/strong> The Lost World<\/em> by Michael Crichton<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        \ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f How the Reading Challenges Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        To keep local readers engaged throughout the hot summer months, the library is utilizing simple tracking logs and regional partnerships:<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Group<\/strong><\/td>Challenge Structure<\/strong><\/td>Rewards<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead>
        Kids (0\u201312)<\/strong><\/td>Track days spent reading each week on a physical log.<\/td>Weekly stickers and prizes at any library desk.<\/td><\/tr>
        Reading with the Rays<\/strong><\/td>Complete a baseball-themed tracking sheet by “rounding the bases” with reading hours.<\/td>Tampa Bay Rays-themed merchandise and prizes.<\/td><\/tr>
        Teens & Adults (13+)<\/strong><\/td>Read books matching weekly historical\/scientific themes or titles from personal reading lists.<\/td>Entry tickets for the grand prize museum baskets.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        Reading logs, event schedules, and local “Jurassic Polk” adventure maps can be picked up at the Lakeland Public Library, the Larry R. Jackson Branch, or the Kelly Branch Library.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The Lakeland Public Library system is leaning heavily into prehistoric fun for its 2026 summer programming, creating a “Jurassic Polk” experience that stretches across generations. Running from June 1st through… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDZcL2ltYWdlcy0zLndlYnA_Zml0PTE2OCUyQzMwMCZzc2w9MSIsInR4dCI6IlRoZSBMYWtlbGFuZCBQdWJsaWMgTGlicmFyeSBzeXN0ZW0gaXMgbGVhbmluZyBoZWF2aWx5IGludG8gcHJlaGlzdG9yaWMgZnVuIGZvciBpdHMgMjAyNiBzdW1tZXIgcHJvZ3JhbW1pbmcsIGNyZWF0aW5nIGEgJiM4MjIwO0p1cmFzc2ljIFBvbGsmIzgyMjE7IGV4cGVyaWVuY2UiLCJ0ZW1wbGF0ZSI6ImRvaXMiLCJmb250IjoiIiwiYmxvZ19pZCI6MTYzMDQwNjYxfQ.afjbTvAjapTZvdRKvkPhejcwWlKY2noAdDsZy3jsCKQMQ"},"version":2,"media_source":"sig","attached_media":[{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/jetpack.com\/redirect\/?source=sigenerate&query=t%3DeyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvbGFrZWxhbmRnYXpldHRlLmluZm9cL25ld3NcL3dwLWNvbnRlbnRcL3VwbG9hZHNcLzIwMjZcLzA2XC9pbWFnZXMtMy53ZWJwIiwidHh0IjoiVGhlIExha2VsYW5kIFB1YmxpYyBMaWJyYXJ5IHN5c3RlbSBpcyBsZWFuaW5nIGhlYXZpbHkgaW50byBwcmVoaXN0b3JpYyBmdW4gZm9yIGl0cyAyMDI2IHN1bW1lciBwcm9ncmFtbWluZywgY3JlYXRpbmcgYSBcIkp1cmFzc2ljIFBvbGtcIiBleHBlcmllbmNlIiwidGVtcGxhdGUiOiJkb2lzIiwiZm9udCI6IiIsImJsb2dfaWQiOjE2MzA0MDY2MX0.nGrn5Sjj1Ow64Wo7uvxF8nCjGB5EoEItDa8cNt2Yn-oMQ","type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[14815],"class_list":["post-70140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-the-lakeland-public-library-system-is-leaning-heavily-into-prehistoric-fun-for-its-2026-summer-programming"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70140"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70145,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70140\/revisions\/70145"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}