The Cops ‘n’ Kid’s Literacy Program enjoyed its 11th annual Celebration of Reading … and the Arts and Sciences at the Northampton Community College Fowler Family South Side Center April 22. The events kicked off at 10:30 a.m. with a small parade of the Liberty HS bagpipers, Broughal MS Marching Band, and the City of Bethlehem Mounted Police Unit. The musical entertainment lasted until 3 p.m., continuing every half-hour under the outdoor performance venue and on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors in the NCC Fowler Center.

In addition to musical performances, other activities helped create a fun-filled day. Storytellers from the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild interacted with children and their families bringing stories to life in the Cops ‘n’ Kids reading room. Dr. Seuss-inspired cooking demos from NCC Sodexo interested chefs of all ages, as they received a green eggs and ham tutorial. The Lehigh Valley Therapy Dogs organization welcomed all visitors as they entered the Fowler Center with the help of their furry friends.

Outdoors, there were two tents with different themes and more activities for guests. The Air Products and Chemicals Inc. Outdoors Performance Venue held eight different groups of performers on its stage. Each ensemble, from Broughal, Nitchmann and Northeast middle schools, the Lehigh Valley Academy, and Parker School of Irish Dance entertained guests through music or dance.

The Landis Family Foundation-Star Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Pre-Owned Science Venue explored different aspects of science, including chemistry, technology, nutrition and more. Local organizations that helped sponsor the event came with interactive science experiments, advanced technologies and science-oriented activities. Children were able to take home many of the things they created.

Some of the Lehigh Valley’s mascots, such as MeLVin from the Phantom’s Hockey team, Splash from Dutch Springs, Sam Spartan from NCC, the Allen Canary and Dieruff Husky, all stopped by for a visit.

With all the fun activities, Cops ‘n’ Kids still focused on promoting literacy, allowing children to take home two books of their choosing. Additionally, thanks to the generosity of the community and sponsors, everything at the event was free. This year, Cops ‘n’ Kids reached 780,000 books distributed to children in the Lehigh Valley. President Beverly Bradley is continuing to work toward increasing that number and increasing children’s passion for reading.