Phillips County Library launches dinosaur-themed summer reading program

Phillips County families got a steady Tuesday option this June as the Phillips County Library launched its Summer Reading Program with dinosaurs, crafts and a Tommy Terrific Wacky Magic Show. For parents looking for nearby activities that could help fill childcare gaps and keep children reading between school years, the series gave Helena, Marvell and Elaine a familiar place to go.

The 2026 program ran throughout June under the theme Unearth a Story, part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s dinosaur and archaeology focus. The library paired books with hands-on activities and educational presentations designed to make reading feel more like play than homework, while still encouraging literacy and creativity. The June 2 opening set the tone with Tommy Terrific’s Wacky Magic Show, a playful start meant to hold children’s attention from the first week of summer break.

That kind of programming carries extra weight in Phillips County, where the 2020 Census counted 16,568 residents and the county has long faced economic strain. A 2019 estimate cited by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas put median household income at $29,320, and 34.5% of residents were below the poverty line. In a county seat like Helena-West Helena, where families often look for low-cost activities close to home, the library’s summer schedule offers a predictable place for children to stay engaged while school is out.

Phillips County Library says its roots go back to the Helena Women’s Association in 1891, and the institution was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The library also describes itself as the longest continuously running library west of the Mississippi River. Its collection has grown from 533 books to 48,035 books across three locations in Helena, Marvell and Elaine, giving the county a network of library access that reaches beyond one building downtown.

The Helena headquarters is at 702 Porter St. in Helena, and the Arkansas State Library lists Linda Bennett as the manager for the Phillips Lee Monroe Regional Library System. State library materials say participating libraries can use Collaborative Summer Library Program resources or build their own, with manuals that include early literacy, children’s, teen and adult programming. For Phillips County, the result is a summer series that ties a historic local institution to a simple need: keeping young readers learning, busy and connected through the long Delta summer.