With the wealth of resources for kids in our area, the one thing that I wish we had more of are story times. Really good story times, the kind that engage kids and make them hungry for more books. I was excited to see that one of the summer programs being offered at the new Mosaic District is story time, and my daughter and I headed over this week to check it out.
Stories from Strawberry Lane is held on Tuesday mornings at 10am at Strawberry Park (the area in between Target and the Angelika Theatre). Each week a different storyteller from Voices in the Glen, the local storyteller guild, entertains the crowd with interactive stories based on that week’s theme. The morning we went, local favorite Gary Lloyd thrilled the crowd with his dragon themed stories.
My daughter was captivated by the stories, as were the other kids in the crowd. This was definitely the best story time we have been to in the area. And my daughter is already asking to go and see more.
There were a couple of problems with the event. And while none of them will deter us from going back, they are important to be aware of. The area where story time is held is in direct sunlight, so it does get a little warm, and you’ll want to be sure to cover everyone in sunblock. The other disappointing part is that the story time is held right where the interactive fountains usually are.
Talking to a Mosaic District employee, the fountains are on a timer, and on days with story time, they are not scheduled to turn on until noon. Like many of the families in the crowd, we had planned on staying to play in the fountains after the story, so it was a little disappointing that we couldn’t.
Parking in Mosaic District is easy – there was street parking available right next to Strawberry Park, and there are several free garages across the street. While there are no public restrooms, we had no problem walking across the street to Target to use their restroom. Restrooms are also available inside the Angelika.
If it is raining, Stories from Strawberry Lane moves to the Angelika Lounge on the 3rd floor of the theater. The weekly storytellers and themes are listed on the Mosaic District website; however, we found that it was not always accurate. If you are interested in a particular storyteller, check the calendar on the Voices from the Glen website before heading over.
Photos by Mara Surridge.
