Allendale County Library packs summer with family programs

Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens: Unearthing Ancient Animals landed on the Allendale County Library calendar twice on June 23, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., giving local families a hands-on science stop built around fossils, dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. The next day, June 24, Crafty Kids Club met at 10:00 a.m. at the 297 Main St. N. branch, where children could make something themselves instead of just sitting through another passive activity.

Those two programs sat inside a wider AHJ Regional Library System summer push that mixed learning with play across Allendale, Hampton and Jasper counties. The system’s calendar for the same week also included storytimes, a Dinosaur Train movie, 3D Printing 101, puzzle exchange programs, chair exercises and healthy eating sessions at other branches, turning the library network into a full week of stops for children, teens, parents and older adults.

AHJ launched its 2026 Summer Learning Challenge on June 1 and says it runs through July 31. The theme, CSLP Unearth a Story, fits neatly with the zoo program, the dinosaur movie and the ancient-animals presentation, all of which point families toward science, storytelling and discovery rather than a one-note reading list.

The library system says it is a three-county public library network serving Allendale County, Hampton County and Jasper County, with its regional headquarters on the second floor of the Allendale County Library. AHJ also marks 85 years of service as South Carolina’s first multi-county regional library system, a history that helps explain why the branch still functions as one of the county’s most reliable public gathering places.

That role matters in Allendale County, where the U.S. Census Bureau lists a population of 8,039, a median household income of $32,328, bachelor’s degree attainment of 14.3% and an employment rate of 39.9%. In a county that small, free programs that combine reading, crafts, science and technology can carry real weight for families looking for structured summer options without added cost.

At the Allendale County Library, Branch Manager Lainey Reed and library assistants Tina Stevenson, Willett Dunbar and Alfreda Scott are the staff names listed on the branch page. AHJ lists the branch’s regular hours as Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the system says some locations will stay open later on certain days during June, July and August to give working families more chances to come in after hours.