'StoryWalk' Introduced In Vienna Park

VIENNA, VA — An interactive literary installation called StoryWalk has debuted at Glyndon Park in Vienna.

Storywalk features different pages of a picture book at posts along a path. It's located along the asphalt trail at Glyndon Park from the baseball field toward Beulah Road. The installation is based on a concept created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Patrick Henry Library staff came to the Town of Vienna with the idea to bring StoryWalk to Vienna. The Town decided on Glyndon Park as a location due to its existing trail, while the Rotary Club of Vienna provided financial support.

It all came together with Eagle Scout David Nichols of Troop 1539. A 16-year-old rising junior at James Madison High School, Nichols wanted his Eagle Scout project to improve a local park. He built the 20 frames and platforms for the StoryWalk, using 3D computer modeling to design the prototype.

"I never realized how connections with other people can help you with these things," said Nichols. "I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the people who helped me."

StoryWalk is aimed at combining an appreciation for the outdoors with early literacy skills and physical activity. In addition to a different page of a book, each post has directions to do an activity, such as flutter like falling leaves or stomp your feet like apples falling from a tree.

Isabella Harrington, 6, whose parents work for Vienna's parks and recreation department, said she enjoyed reading a page on one post and being instructed to do an activity to the next post. "I can’t wait to go back and do it again," she said.

The first StoryWalk book is "Tap the Magic Tree" by Christie Matheson. Patrick Henry Library will change out the StoryWalk books on quarterly schedule. The next book will be "Bark, George" by Jules Feiffer in September.