JAY — The summer reading programs at Jay-Niles Memorial Library ended Wednesday, Aug. 2, with eight lucky readers being gifted new bikes by local Masons.

On Wednesday, Aug. 2, members of Wilton and Farmington Masonic Lodges provided eight bikes for children participating in the Jay-Niles Memorial Library summer reading program in North Jay. Pictured from left with the bikes are from left, Abigail Crocker, Jay; James Ouellette, Litchfield; Ashleigh Roberts, Jay; Luke Zale, Farmington; Jim Brown, Wilton; Shane Cote, Farmington; Austin Churchill, Jay; David Baker, Wilton; and Jake Mitchell, Jay. Absent from the picture were bike winners Ellie Ouellette, Jay; Lila Gould, Livermore Falls; and Grant Gould, Livermore Falls and Robert Holmes, Wilton. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Masonic Lodges Maine #20 in Farmington and Wilton #156 in Wilton donated the bikes as part of the Masonic Bikes for Books program. There were bikes for a boy and a girl in four different age categories.

Typically, the bikes are channeled through area schools, David Baker, contact person for the Wilton lodge said.

“This is a chance to do the Masonic Bikes for Books program again,” Shane Cote with Masonic Lodge Maine #20 said. “It has been at least three years since we have been able to do this in schools, ever since COVID-19.”

Two year old Lydia Mercier of Jay amuses herself Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 2, during the closing program of the Jay-Niles Memorial Library summer reading program in North Jay. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“We appreciate you doing this,” Burbank said.

The library held two summer reading programs this year, one for younger children and another for tweens/teens. The theme for both was “A Mid-Summer Knight’s Read” with activities scheduled relating to knights, dragons, castles and medieval-based games and crafts.

The reading programs began June 26 with a Steelgraves Magic performance.

Eighty youth signed up for the reading programs this year, Alexis Burbank, teen librarian said before names were drawn for the bikes. The goal was for children to read 500 books but they read more than 2,000 books this summer, she noted.

Youth whose names were drawn for the bikes included Abigail Crocker, Jay;  Ashleigh Roberts, Jay; Ellie Ouellette, Jay; Lila Gould, Livermore Falls; James Ouellette, Litchfield; Grant Gould, Livermore Falls; Austin Churchill, Jay; and Jake Mitchell, Jay.

Phoebe Pike of Livermore Falls presented Burbank and Lindsey Hopkins, children’s librarian with cards, flowers and gifts for organizing the summer reading programs.

Every child who participated received a movie pass. An ice cream social was held prior to the drawings for the bikes.