More than 100 kids have shown up in just a week and a half at the Summer in the Parks program in Palmer. Every one of them went home with a book.
That’s the early success of Summer in the Parks. This free outdoor literacy program is run by the Bright Lights Book Project.
Children from toddlers to middle schoolers gather from noon to 2 p.m. on weekdays at local parks. They receive a free lunch from Kids Kupboard, listen to read-alouds, enjoy hands-on activities, and get a book to keep.
“Kids are coming out of the woodwork,” says Bright Lights Executive Director Alys Culhane.
“It’s just amazing,” she continues. They’re already seeing repeat kids.
The program runs Monday through Friday at rotating locations.
Bugge Park on Cobb Street hosts the event on Mondays and Wednesdays, the Amoosment Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Palmer Museum on Fridays. Today’s event features horse stories and unicorn books.
Culhane knew that they needed a lot of books for the expanded program. A windfall of books made it possible.
Mat-Su School District Library Coordinator Becky Williams reached out to Culhane in early May. Three schools, Glacier View, Meadow Lakes Elementary, and Larson Elementary, were closing. A surplus of books was available for the taking.
Bright Lights rented a storage unit for the books from Meadow Lakes and Larson Elementary Schools. It’s full. Fifty boxes of those books will fuel Summer in the Parks this year.
Glacier View kept some of their collection and the rest went to Sutton Elementary School.
About $7,000 in grants from the Mat-Su Health Foundation, the Rasmuson Foundation, the Palmer Lions Club, and the City of Palmer fund Summer in the Parks. These funds allowed Culhane to hire staff this year. It’s a big step up from last summer. Culhane and Swanson Elementary School librarian Kim Evans ran the program by themselves last year.
Master kindergarten teachers Mike Percell and Lawrence Giron of the Alaska Literacy Program are credited with much of the success this summer. The Alaska Literacy Program is a key Bright Lights partner.
Bright Lights Books has grown since Culhane and Bill Schmidtkunz began salvaging books at the Valley Recycling Center in 2019. Free books are spread across nearly 50 volunteer-maintained bookcases throughout the Mat-Su Borough.
Books are shipped to rural Alaska. A $30,000 grant secured by Senator Lisa Murkowski helped send Culhane to Utqiagvik, Nome, Elim, Old Harbor, and 20 additional villages last year. A grant for this year has just been awarded.
The program has gone beyond Alaska. Way beyond. Palmer resident Brad Schmidt visited Kenya and brought books to share. A teacher in Kenya tracked down Bright Lights Books — and Culhane said yes. Two pallets of books are on their way to Kenya.
Bright Lights returns to the Alaska State Fair this year. They are set up near the Equestrian Center. Children can read aloud to stuffed animals and take a book home with them.
Culhane takes a wide view of what this all means.
She said these are the types of things that make Palmer what it is.
“People can see that literacy and being literate are important.”
The Bright Lights Book Project operates its literacy center and distribution site at the Eagle Hotel in Palmer. Those wishing to learn more about the project can visit brightlightsbookproject.org or email director@brightlightsbookproject.org.
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That’s it for today and the news on Page Two on Friday June 12, 2026.