St. Albans, WV – In a significant boost to community and family engagement, the City of St. Albans, in partnership with the Kanawha County Public Library (KCPL), Friends of the Alban Arts & Conference Center and the support of local individuals, businesses and organizations, is thrilled to announce the launch of a permanent StoryWalk® installation at St. Albans City Park. This initiative, set to enrich the park’s natural beauty, combines the joy of reading with the pleasure of outdoor activity, fostering a love for literature and nature among young residents and visitors alike.
The StoryWalk® Project, a concept created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson and has been implemented across all 50 United States and 14 countries, bringing stories to life in outdoor settings. The City of St. Albans’s installation will feature 18 permanent weather-resistant stations along the park’s Nature Trail. Each station will display a different page of a story, inviting children and their families to hike and read sequentially, turning a walk through the woods into an interactive storytelling adventure.
This innovative project, spearheaded by St. Albans Parks and Recreation volunteer Debbie Keener, has garnered widespread support, including enthusiasm from the City of St. Albans Mayor, the City Parks & Recreation Superintendent, the St. Albans Branch Library, and several area businesses eager to participate in this collaborative effort. A grant from the Oakland Foundation was received and will be applied to this project. The permanent StoryWalk® will be accessible year-round from dawn to dusk, offering a variety of stories that change throughout the year to keep the experience fresh and engaging.
The StoryWalk® books will be provided by the Kanawha County Public Library and will be made available to the St. Albans Parks and Recreation Department for display in the City Park display stations. Books are geared to children 3-7 years of age and will be changed periodically to enable children to read multiple books throughout the year. The Friends of the Alban Arts & Conference Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, is actively accepting donations to purchase and install the StoryWalk® stations. While each display unit costs $450, donations of any amount are welcome and appreciated, ensuring that all community members can contribute to this valuable project. Donors will receive special recognition for their support, including a permanent plaque with their name or business name displayed at the station(s).
For those interested in contributing to the StoryWalk® Project or seeking more information, please contact the Alban Arts & Conference Center at 304-721-8896 or [email protected] or the St. Albans Parks and Recreation Department at 304-722-4625. Your support helps turn pages into pathways for the children of our community, encouraging them to explore, read, and learn in the great outdoors. One of these permanent stations will be on display during the St. Albans City Parks “Take A Walk on the Wild Side” Nature Hike event at the City Park on Saturday, April 13, from 9:00am-Noon. The completed StoryWalk® Project at the St. Albans City Park Nature Trail is slated to open in mid-September 2024.
About StoryWalk®:
The StoryWalk® Project, conceived in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, ingeniously combines literacy with outdoor activity. This initiative encourages families to read a book displayed across multiple outdoor stations while walking a path, promoting early literacy, physical activity, and family bonding. StoryWalk® embodies the power of community collaboration. Funded by donations and partnerships, including a pivotal one with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library, StoryWalk® has become a beloved global project, demonstrating the impact of combining education, health, and nature.
About the Alban Arts Center
The Alban Arts Center is a small arts organization in the heart of downtown St. Albans. Located within the historic Alban Theater, originally built in 1938 as a movie house, the Alban Arts Center provides a wide array of artistic opportunities for St. Albans and the surrounding community within its intimate 190-seat theater. Primarily focusing on the performing arts, the Alban produces seven community theatre productions yearly; also, the venue hosts concerts, movies, and other local and touring performances. The program of the Alban Arts Academy, a twice-yearly extra-curricular academy, provides arts education classes to 200 students annually, in keeping with our mission of “Cultivating and bolstering our community by providing a premier artistic outlet, to educate and foster the artists of tomorrow through the collaboration and demonstrations of our artists today.
For More Information:
St. Albans Parks & Recreation Department
Scott Tweedy
Program Coordinator
(304) 722-4625
[email protected]
Friends of the Alban
Adam Bryan
Managing Director
Alban Arts Center
(304) 721-8896
[email protected]
