Key Points:
- StoryWalk project in Wichita Public Library brings books to public parks.
- Laminated pages from library books are mounted on sturdy posts along a walking path.
- Omega Psi Phi fraternity members, who have adopted the park, volunteered to erect reading station.
StoryWalk has come to Fairmount Park.
Every parent and teacher knows how tough it can be to get a child to sit still and listen to a story, especially at this time of year when the winter weather is giving way to sunshiny spring days.
StoryWalk, part of a national movement, creates an opportunity for children to read or hear a story as they walk along a path.
The City of Wichita Library has adopted the program locally bringing them to Wichita public parks. Reading stations are mounted along a walking trail inside the park. Each station has a laminated page from a library book, protected under a plexiglass shield and mounted to a sturdy post.
Individuals walking the trail can stop and read at each station and if they complete the trail, they’ve had an opportunity to complete the book. At the final station, there are questions for parents to ask to help them determine how well their child understands the story they just read.
The program, which originally began along public trails, has expanded to include a variety of areas, including urban areas and parks.
The idea was designed as a way to convince families to get outside and be active while engaging with literacy. The idea was to design an activity where adults could be active alongside children, with no financial limitations that would leave some families out.
The first StoryWalk in Wichita was rolled out last year in Evergreen Park in North Wichita. This month, two news StoryWalks were installed. The one in Fairmount and a third at W.B. Harrison Park in Southeast Wichita.
Phillip Rivers, a member of the alumni chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity said he took his young son to the StoryWalk at Evergreen.
“He enjoyed it so much that I asked about how we could get one at Fairmount,” he said.
Rivers said Omega Psi Phi has “adopted” Fairmount Park and members regularly volunteer to help cleanup the park. The fraternity members also helped with the installations of the reading station by digging post holes and erecting the stations along the walk, he said.
“I’m impressed with how sturdy the posts are and how well protected the pages are. Even if somebody draws or writes on the glass, you can clean it off pretty easily,” Rivers said. “I think this feature is something families will enjoy for a long time to come.”
The current story displayed in Fairmount Park is “Lola Loves Stories” and features a young girl who loves having her dad read her a story every night. The story will be changed every three to four months.
Partners with the Library in StoryWalk include United Way of the Plains, Kansas State University Research and Extension and the Health and Wellness Coalition of Wichita.
StoryWalk is a national program that was designed as a way to convince families to get outside and be active while engaging with literacy without having to be concerned about the cost. 
The first StoryWalk book in Fairmount Park is “Lola Loves Stories.” 
Members of the local Omega Psi Phi fraternity chapters have adopted Fairmount Park and regularly conduct cleanups at the park. 
Members of the Wichita Omega Psi Phi fraternity chapters helped install the StoryWalk stations; digging holes for and cementing in place the station posts.
