Plymouth District Library staff member Patty offering a popsicle to a young Plymouth resident.
Last Summer, the library started a program called Popsicles in the Park, an initiative designed to strengthen community bonds between the library and local Plymouth residents.
Popsicles in the Park involves the library coming to a local commonspace in your neighborhood, bringing crafts for kids, tabletop and lawn games, a reading tent with books, and perhaps most importantly on a hot Summer day: popsicles.
“In 2025, we did the program at two City parks and two Township parks.” explained Community Relations Specialist Heather Pacheco, who runs this outreach program. She added that the library chose both City and Township parks to achieve a broader reach in different parts of the Plymouth community. The response was successful and a surprise, with an average of 75 people per program.
“This year, we did things a little differently,” Pacheco said. “We put a call out in the [print] newsletter to see if anyone wanted to invite the program to their subdivision.” The library received three responses, and the first one that they completed in June drew 90 subdivision residents, indicating a strong start.
Community Relations Specialist Heather Pacheco plays table-top board games with Plymouth neighbors at Popsicles in the Park 2025.
As the program continues to build, Pacheco and the rest of the library staff are learning the pros and cons of subdivision meet-ups versus City and Township parks, with the latter having built-in gazebos and tents in case of inclement weather. Regardless, Pacheco hopes to offer Popsicles in the Park via both parks and subdivisions next year, to give residents and patrons the best of both worlds.
All in all, the goal of Popsicles in the Park is to bring library awareness to community members who might not be regular library visitors, and to encourage connections among neighbors. Pacheco said, “Our hope is that we can play a part in neighbors getting acquainted or re-acquainted over a popsicle and some family fun.”
Upcoming community outreach events with Plymouth District Library include:
- A book swap event with Foregrounds Coffee in August (date TBD)
- PDL at Fall Fest and Astronomy at Golfview Park in September
- Downtown Day and PumpkinPalooza in October
Plus, you can always check our online Events Calendar for more programs and events, both at the library and offsite.