Burlington County Library System Unveils New StoryWalk at Riverton Memorial Park

Burlington County children and families have a new destination where they can simultaneously read, move, and enjoy the outdoors.

A new StoryWalk opened Wednesday at Riverton Memorial Park (Cedar Street and 8^th Street), and the Burlington County Commissioners joined with Riverton officials, library staff, volunteers, and community members for a fun Kickoff Party to celebrate the new addition to the Burlington County Library System (BCLS) and the riverfront community.

“Love for reading is essential to learning, and it should be as big, imaginative, and accessible as the summer sky,” said Burlington County Library Commission Chair Jonathan Chebra. “StoryWalk is an immersive way for families to experience a story outdoors. It’s another fantastic community resource that extends learning beyond the walls of our BCLS libraries.”

“For more than a century, the Burlington County Library System has been a source of knowledge and a vehicle for bringing communities together,” said Burlington County Commissioner Tom Pullion, liaison to the BCLS. “We’re proud of all the services the library system offers, and we’re excited to see the addition of another StoryWalk to engage young readers and families.”

“Reading is a lifelong adventure and Burlington County’s StoryWalks let readers of all ages exercise their bodies and their imaginations,” added Burlington County Commissioner Randy Brolo, who represented the Board of Commissioners at the kickoff. “The new StoryWalk is a great addition to Riverton and the Burlington County Library System. We’re excited to see how it can promote literacy and bring families and communities together.”

The Riverton StoryWalk was created through a partnership between the Burlington County Library System, Riverton and the BCLS Foundation. The attraction consists of numerous reading stations built around the playground in Memorial Park. Each station displays pages from an illustrated children’s book. Visitors to the park can stroll, run, or skip from station to station while interacting with the story. Each station also has literacy tips and challenges designed to engage and entertain both children and adult family members.

“The Burlington County Library System promotes learning inside our libraries and out in the communities we serve,” said BCLS Director Ranjna Das. “The new Riverton StoryWalk is an example of our commitment to deliver resources to all. Improvements like this one are only possible because of the generosity of library benefactors and the work of essential partners like the BCLS Foundation and Riverton Borough.”

The Riverton StoryWalk is the second developed by the BCLS. The first was constructed outside the BCLS Main Branch Library (5 Pioneer Boulevard in Westampton) alongside the Burlington County Amphitheater and launched in 2021.

The Dinosaur in the Garden by Deb Pilutti is currently on display at both the Riverton and Main Branch Library StoryWalks. Stories are typically changed every few months. Some of the previous titles that have been used at the BCLS Main Branch StoryWalk include: Explorers of the Wild by Cale Atkinson; The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds;  All Are Neighbors by Alexandra Penfold, Illustrations by Suzanne Kaufman; Something, Someday by Amanda Gordon, Illustrations by Christian Robinson; In a Jar by Deborah Marcero; and The Hike by Alison Farrell.

Riverton Memorial Park is over a century-old. The Borough purchased the 12-acre property in 1923 to serve residents of the small town. It was re-dedicated in 1931 in honor of Riverton residents who served during World War I.

The park is a short walk from the Riverton Free Library, which began in 1890’s.The library is housed in a Carpenter style cottage on Main Street that was donated in 1908 by Sarah Morris Perot Ogden in memory of her husband, Edward H. Ogden, who was the town’s first mayor. The library became a branch in the Burlington County Library System in 2003.

StoryWalk is an international movement that combines reading with physical activity in the great outdoors. The concept was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, who developed it in partnership with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Similar projects have been installed in all 50 U.S. states and more than a dozen countries, including Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Malaysia, Pakistan, and South Korea.