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By James Ensor
For fifteen years, Steve Roslonek of SteveSongs has been performing award-wining educational music for kids and families across the globe. From Fenway Park to the Kennedy Center and the White House, his songs have been met with enthusiasm and applause. This Monday August 8, the Needham Library was one of the latest venues to host his performance as part of the “On your mark, get set…. Read!” initiative for the summer.
Approximately 117 parents and kids packed into the community room at the library to sing songs about reading, as well as other topics such as eating healthy and staying active. His programs can be found performed on PBS, and his popularity drew this hefty crowd.
“SteveSongs has a marvelous reputation. I heard him perform at a showcase in Connecticut this past winter and I was very impressed,” said Paula Dugan, the Children’s Supervisor at the Needham Library. “He’s very popular in Needham, and besides being musically talented, he had a lot of songs that fit well with the program we’re running here.”
An acoustic jig about eating healthy vegetables got the crowd excited, which can be considered a major success, given many childrens’ reluctance to eat their greens. As the kids tapped their feet to the tunes, and there are a few more activities left at the Needham Library before the summer concludes.
At the time of printing, there are Spanish story times, a book club and a major event on Monday, August 15 involving Blades, the mascot of the Boston Bruins, who will tell the story of how he became the official Bruins mascot. The Bruins ice girls will also be in attendance. To add to the appeal of Blades, several State Representatives and State Senators will be in attendance in order to expose local kids to their elected representatives. Some kids, however, will be more interested in the photo-ops with the mascot and ice girls. Refreshments will be provided.
To conclude the summer activities at the library, there will also be a Frisbee show on August 16. “We’ll be giving away 6 new bicycles and a Kindle e-reader,” continued Ms. Dugan. “The Boston Roller girls will also be here to teach the kids about roller-blading, it should be great end to a fun filled summer!”
