Belle Vernon Public Library kicks off summer fun with live play at NBV park

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com

The Belle Vernon Public Library will kick off summer this week with a live performance at the North Belle Vernon Community Bank Park.
“The Very Grumpy Monkey” will feature kids and young adults from the Books Come Alive troop of Greensburg’s Stage Right! theatre school.
The show, set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, will kick off a summer of fun and reading for area children.
Library Director Elina Filander said she is excited to see area children and teens once again fill the library and attend events after a slow year in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“We’re excited to offer this program as our feature event for children’s summer reading,” Filander said. “It’s fun for kids to see other kids perform and enjoy themselves.”
The park will host the library’s programs each Wednesday through July.
“Getting kids out and together to see a book-inspired play seemed like a natural fit,” she said.
The play tells the story of a monkey who is out of sorts due to quarantining and being apart from his friends. When everyone asks why he’s so grumpy, he only gets grumpier.
The show, which is free and open to the public, is outdoors and will be held weather permitting.
Children are encouraged to bring a towel, blanket or cushion to sit in the grass and enjoy the show.
The weekly programs held at the park are best suited for children in kindergarten through third grade, but other activities for elementary and middle school children at the park and library are also in the works.
“We’re just excited to see kids back enjoying what our library has to offer,” she said.
Additionally, any adult or child who checks a book out of the library this summer will be entered to win a $20 gift card.
“We are just trying to encourage children to come to the library, and to spend some time reading this summer,” Filander said.
For more information in the library’s summer programs, call 724-929-6642.