During the last sixteen years, the Homosassa the last has partnered with the Citrus County Library System to provide five bicycles as reading incentives during the Summer Reading Program. School age children were given the opportunity to enter their names, along with the title of a book they read, each week during the eight-week summer program. During the last week in July each of the five branches randomly selected a winner. The lucky children and their parents met at the Homosassa Walmart on Saturday, August 10th where each picked out their favorite bike to bring home with them.

Readers Rewarded With Bicycles

The Summer Reading Program is more than just having a fun place to spend the summer; the program is designed to keep children reading during the months when school is not in session. Students who continue to read throughout the summer tend to retain more of their reading comprehension skills, which gives them an advantage when the school year begins again. Incentive programs such as this one can help motivate reluctant readers to participate in the program. The library expresses gratitude to Homosassa Walmart manager Scott Lethco for continuing to support literacy in Citrus County.