Four happy first graders show off their library cards at the Kent Theatre.

In what’s become an annual event, first graders at Cedar Trails Elementary and Creative Technologies academy were invited to celebrate “March is Reading Month” by getting their library cards. This is the 15th year of the event.

Cedar Springs Public Library Director Donna Clark visited Creative Technologies Academy to hand out envelopes with special invitations to 20 first graders and families of Mrs. Presler’s class to get a new library card. Shannon Vanderhyde, Children’s Parapro for the Cedar Springs Public Library and Sara Magnuson, Children’s Parapro for Sand Lake/Nelson Township Library and Kent District Library presented the special invitation letters to the 11 classes at Cedar Trails on February 22, which included about 270 students.

All students who registered for or already had a library card were invited to see a special showing at the Kent Theatre of “The Adventures of Tin Tin” on Monday and Tuesday this week. About 212 first-graders and family members attended the event.

Cedar Springs children’s author Amanda Litz was on hand to raffle off three books each evening from her “Sam and Pam can and you can, too” series.

Mrs. Presler’s class at Creative Technologies Academy were happy to be invited to get their library cards.

Clark said they are appreciative of their partnership with the Kent Theatre in this endeavor. “It’s really great to have a theatre in your own hometown,” she said.

Clark also paid tribute to Cedar Springs resident Mike Metzger, who started the annual drive. “The library card drive began all those years ago because Mike Metzger had a dream and a passion to see that every child in the first grade had a better chance of becoming a proficient reader early on. It was his idea to start a Library Card Drive through the Library, and he is as passionate today as he was then,” she said.

Mrs. Sendler’s class at Cedar Trails were also happy to be invited to get their library cards.