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SALT LAKE CITY — Hundreds of families celebrated summer in downtown Salt Lake City Saturday and underscored the importance two timely messages of the season: Summer reading and summer safety.
"We want to to get kids excited about reading, even when school has ended, to just continue on," said Amanda Evans, of KSL's Read Today program.
Read Today and the Salt Lake City Police Department co-sponsored the Five-O-Fest, which included free books, 800 pounds of candy, crafts, stage performances and a photo booth.
Roselyn Brensan brought her three children to the festival to reinforce what they do each morning at home.
"They're already doing it!" Brensan said. "They have a reading schedule every day, Monday through Saturday, 20 minutes."
And her three children didn't need the festival's free candy buffet to win them over.
"As you read more you learn more words, and it actually will occur in your future life and in your past," said sixth-grader Yvan Brensan. "So reading is really important in your life."
The second theme of the festival became obvious by the sea of police officers, police motorcycles and various public safety and emergency booths.
"We want kids to start thinking about safety," said police department spokesman R. Fred Ross.
Salt Lake police co-sponsored the festival for the chance to engage with community members on a personal level so they can connect, especially with young people.
"So that they see we're real people, we're not robots just because we wear a uniform," Ross said. "We care about them and we want them to care about their community."
At the end of the summer, Read Today will host another celebration for kids who achieve their reading goals, with the Salt Lake Bees. To find out how to earn tickets to a Bees game, go to ReadToday.com.
