Local Students Invited to Take Part in Bookmark Design Contest

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Johnstown, PA (Feb. 19, 2018) –The Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown is an annual event that connects top-selling, critically-acclaimed children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers with area kids. To kick off the festival, The Learning Lamp is calling on local students to create bookmarks showing what sparks their imaginations and brings books to life for them. Their hand-drawn creations will be featured at the 10th annual Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown, which takes place April 7-8, 2018.

“The bookmark contest is one of my favorite aspects of the Children’s Book Festival,” said Kerri Belardi, director of communications at The Learning Lamp. “It’s a treat when we get packages from local schools stuffed full of colorful and creative bookmarks. Last year, we received 724 entries and this year we hope to receive even more!”

The bookmark design contest is divided into four age brackets: preschool and kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades, 3rd and 4th grades, and 5th and 6th grades. Book festival attendees each get one vote per age bracket. Each division winner receives a prize package that includes a personal library of books.

Teachers can enter to win a classroom set of books by submitting their students’ bookmarks together. Rules and entry forms have been delivered to area schools. Any child from preschool to sixth grade can take part, even if their school is not participating in the contest. Only one bookmark entry per child. Visit thelearninglamp.org for a printable entry form. Completed bookmarks can be sent to The Learning Lamp at 2025 Bedford St., Johnstown PA, 15904.  The deadline to submit is March 23, 2018 by 5 p.m.

The Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown is sponsored by The Learning Lamp and is held at BOTTLE WORKS. Its goal is to provide quality, interactive literary experiences that inspire children to read and encourage families to read together. Highlights of the weekend include visits from Laura Numeroff, the New York Times bestselling author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Raising a Hero and What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best, and former National Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt, the author of many books for children including Kiss, Kiss Good Night, My Hippo Has the Hiccups, and Revenge of the Lunch Ladies;  and Mark Weakland, author of more than 50 books for children – including his newest release The West End Treehouse Mystery,  a story based right here in Johnstown! The festival also features Master Storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston, live entertainment, arts and crafts, and a giant children’s new and used book sale. Plus, every child who comes to the Book Festival will receive a free book from the First Book national book bank.

For more information on the Children’s Book Festival of Johnstown, call 814-262-0732 extension 245 or visit thelearninglamp.org or like and follow our Facebook page at facebook.com/CBFJohnstown/.

The Learning Lamp is a nonprofit organization with a mission to engage all children in the support they need to succeed. We deliver high quality programs that are affordable and accessible to families of all income levels. The Learning Lamp served 35,525 children from 62 school districts and 39 non-public and private schools and other organizations in 17 Pennsylvania counties and one county in Maryland in 2016.

Our programs include: one-to-one tutoring; before/after school programs; portable classrooms aimed at building math and science skills; alternative education programs for at-risk students; evidence-based prevention programs; online learning and credit recovery; SAT preparation; educationally-focused child care; literacy-based preschool programs; and grant writing and project consulting for schools.