Drey Parsons and his mom, Stephanie, read together at the Atchison County Library’s birthday party for Smokey Bear.

Sophie Smith, Lillian Ottmann, and Ray Herron enjoyed coloring before having treats from Paigstries and learning more about Smokey Bear.

During the birthday party, Missouri Conservation Agent Justin Ralph read the book “In The Woods, Who’s Been Here” by Lindsay Barrett George.

The Atchison County Library held a birthday party for Smokey Bear Monday, August 5, 2024. The party was a kick-off for a campaign held in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service. This free reading program, available through August 15, engages youth in reading about wildfire prevention, forests, and natural resource careers while they explore their local environment. For the reading challenge, each child who reads five books and records them on the reading challenge log and returns it to their local library branch will be entered into a drawing to win a Smokey Bear stuffed animal. There is one prize for each branch. Logs can be picked up during library hours and at any branch in the county. The drawing will take place on August 15.