Adams County libraries offer free summer meals, story times and STEAM fun

The Adams County Public Library system is turning its branches into a summer routine families can actually use: free meals on Mondays, story times across the county, and hands-on activities that give kids a reason to come back. From Peebles to West Union and Manchester to North Adams, the schedule is built for children from birth through age 18, with enough variety to cover a whole week without stretching a family budget.

A summer schedule families can build around

The biggest draw for many households is the library’s free shelf-stable meal program, offered in partnership with the Children’s Hunger Alliance. Children and teens ages 0 to 18 can receive one week’s worth of food each Monday from noon to 2 p.m., and there are no income requirements. Caregivers can pick up the meals as long as the correct permission form is in place, making the program a practical help for families that need a dependable weekly stop.

That Monday pickup window gives Adams County parents an easy anchor point for the rest of the week. A family can start with meals at the beginning of the week, then use story time and branch activities to break up the days that follow, especially for younger children who do best with predictable outings. In a county where summer schedules often revolve around work shifts, childcare gaps and gas money, a noon-to-2 p.m. stop is simple enough to plan around and broad enough to serve many households at once.

Story times across the county

The library is also keeping a steady rhythm of story times that stretches from one branch to the next. North Adams Library hosts story time on Tuesdays at 11 a.m., while Peebles and Manchester both hold theirs on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. West Union rounds out the midweek rotation with story time on Thursdays at 11 a.m., and Manchester adds an evening option on Thursdays at 5 p.m.

That lineup matters because it gives families more than one chance to fit reading time into a week. Morning sessions work well for preschoolers and parents with flexible schedules, while Manchester’s Thursday evening story time is a useful option for caregivers who cannot make a daytime program. The spread also means children can stay connected to the library even if one branch is closer to home, since the same general age group can find a nearby session on almost every weekday except Friday.

For parents trying to create a low-cost summer routine, the structure is straightforward:

• Monday noon to 2 p.m. for meals
• Tuesday 11 a.m. at North Adams for story time
• Wednesday 11 a.m. at Peebles or Manchester for story time
• Thursday 11 a.m. at West Union or 5 p.m. at Manchester for story time

That kind of pattern can turn the library into a weekly anchor, not just a place to drop in when there is nothing else to do.

STEAM fun that keeps kids moving

The branches are not stopping at books and reading circles. The summer calendar leans hard into STEAM, the mix of science, technology, engineering, arts and math that keeps kids building, testing and experimenting. The clearest example came at the Curiosity Carnival at the Peebles Library on June 4, where families made mini lava lamps, designed airplane gliders, and explored fossils and animal pelts.

That event says a lot about how the library is approaching summer learning. Instead of presenting science as something abstract or classroom-bound, the carnival made it tactile and memorable, with activities that let children see, touch and build their way through the day. For Adams County families, that kind of programming turns a library visit into an outing with lasting value, especially for kids who learn best by doing.

West Union is set to keep that momentum going with a special STEAM Day on June 17. The branch program adds another hands-on stop for families looking for an activity that is both free and educational, and it fits neatly into a summer when parents are often looking for fresh ways to fill the long hours between breakfast and dinner.

More to watch on the June 17 calendar

Manchester Library is also adding a pair of activities later on June 17: a Jurassic Adoption and Garden Jars program. Together, they suggest the branch is leaning into a mix of playful themes and hands-on creativity, the kind of programming that can draw a wide age range without requiring a big expense.

The library is also promoting Breaking into Book Writing, led by Carol Cartaino. That program adds a different kind of creative outlet to the summer lineup, one that reaches beyond younger children and gives older readers and aspiring writers a chance to think about storytelling in a more structured way. Taken together, the branch calendar shows that summer at the library is not limited to one age group or one style of activity.

Why the timing matters for Adams County families

The strength of this schedule is not just the number of programs, but how neatly they fit into real life. A family in Adams County can pick up free meals on Monday, aim for a morning story time midweek, and still leave room for a STEAM stop or a special branch program without paying admission or traveling far. For children ages 0 to 18, the library system is offering both nourishment and engagement in the same season, which makes the branches feel less like separate destinations and more like part of a practical summer plan.

That is also why the Curiosity Carnival matters beyond a single afternoon. Events like the one at Peebles show that Adams County libraries are using summer to create places where families gather, children explore, and learning feels active instead of forced. With meals, story times and STEAM activities on the calendar, the system has built a summer lineup that gives county families something useful every week.