Thursday, October 1, 2026
As America turns 250, the Merrick Library seized the opportunity to share national history with a local twist.
The Merrick Library hosted the ‘Merricka 250 Block Party on June 27 — one of many events that the library is offering this year capture the spirit of America’s milestone.
The festival also offers young attendees an opportunity to engage in the library’s summer reading challenge.
“Summer learning is always important, and we always approach it in a kind of multimodal format,” Head Librarian Rachel Sferlazza said. “For America 250, our activity challenge is all about local historical sites throughout our town, getting children to know not just their neighborhood, but also their shared history here in Merrick.
This year, young people are being provided with Adventure Passport booklets, used in tandem with the six-week summer reading challenge. As part of their summer reading registration bag, participants will have information about different historical sites around town that they can visit. Some sites involve trivia questions, or challenges like borrowing books about New York State history at the library. For each activity they complete, they earn a raffle ticket towards gift baskets at the end of the summer.
“It’s another way of promoting literacy and critical thinking, but that doesn’t require sitting in a chair for a long period of time. It’s get up, get outside, which is always important in the summer, and go explore your shared history,” Sferlazza continued. “In other words, reading is crucial, and the more that you read, the more that you know, and the more that you know, the more that you grow.”
To learn more, visit nassaulibrary.org/250 for more information.
