It is not too late to sign up for the Summer Reading Program at Atglen Public Library (APL), themed "Adventure Begins at Your Library." The reading incentive program for patrons of all ages will run through Saturday, Aug. 17. Additionally, a variety of special events will be offered all summer long. Registration for the programs is required by choosing "Register for Programs" at http://www.atglenpubliclibrary.org or by calling 610-593-6848.

Children, teenagers and adults may take part in the library's "Read and Bead" activity. Children are asked to read or have a book read to them for at least 30 minutes a day, and adults and teens are asked to read for 60 minutes per day. Participants then record their activity on a reading log.

When patrons check in with their reading log, they can exchange their time for a bead of a different value. There are beads for 30 minutes, one hour and two hours and silver spacers and charms for three hours. Participants then get a cable, and they can make a bracelet or necklace or hang it on their backpack.

Adults and children can choose the colors of the beads and use their creative skills to make objects of their choice. "The really special thing is that we get parents (creating jewelry) with their kids, which models good behavior," said library director Robbyn Kehoe.

Additionally, patrons, including adults, can earn Patch Power activity cards this summer. "We have all of the previous year's patches available in addition to the three new ones for this year," explained Kehoe, noting that the three new patches are Cyborg, Schooner or Later and Wondrous Wilderness. "You have to do one activity from three categories: Read, Connect and Discover."

For example, to earn the Wondrous Wilderness patch, reading activities include reading a book about a nature park that is located in a state other than Pennsylvania. The connect activity is for participants to visit a local playground and then design and draw a playground of their own. The discovery activity includes attending a program at a Chester County park and then writing a two-sentence review of the experience.

"The activities are suggestions. The kids can come up with something else similar. They have to come in and explain (what they did)," said Kehoe. "They are proud because it is usually an art project."

Among the programs to be offered this summer are Mini Music-Makers for preschoolers ages 3 to 5, which meets on Wednesdays through Aug. 14 from 10:30 to 11 a.m., and PlayK Circle Time for children ages 4 and 5, which meets on Thursdays through July 25, from 4 to 5 p.m., with the exception of July 4. For older youths, a Switch Game Play Club is offered for children age 11 and over every first and third Tuesday of the month through Aug. 20 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Two STEMSpark programs will be offered on Tuesday, July 30, through the Chester County Library System. Animal Mysteries will be the topic at the 10:30 to 11 a.m. session and a fossil lab will be the topic for the second program from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Board games will be offered on Thursdays, Aug. 1, 8 and 15, from 2 to 3 p.m. The featured game on Aug. 1 will be S.O.S. Bomb Squad. "S.O.S. Bomb Squad is (fun) to watch and to participate in," Kehoe pointed out. "The game is where participants have to defuse a bomb. We have the computer voice counting it down to make it more (challenging)."

Ongoing programs at the APL include the Monday Mile Walking program, which meets on Mondays at 5:15 p.m. for a stroll around the library neighborhood; Stitching in the Stacks, a crafting group, which meets on Wednesdays at 3 p.m.; and Tai Chi, which meets on Fridays at 11:15 a.m.

For a complete schedule of programming for July and August, visit the previously mentioned website or http://www.facebook.com/AtglenPublicLibrary.