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On most kids’ field trips, the bus is part of the journey, not the destination. But 27 children from the Great Plains Family YMCA in Weatherford visited a bus as part of their summer-camp field trip on Monday.
Of course, the bus they visited was the Rolling Thunder Book Bus, so there was more to see than green-vinyl bench seats and rubber-tread floors.
Lynnette Terry with the YMCA in western Oklahoma had called our office a few months ago to see whether they could arrange a visit from the Book Bus to their summer camp. However, the bus only travels so far, and Weatherford is a little out of its range.
Not wanting to miss an opportunity for the kids, Lynnette decided that if the bus couldn’t come to the kids, the kids could instead come to the bus.
And from the kids’ reactions today, it was worth every minute of the trip.
Along with more than 80 children attending the YMCA summer camp in downtown OKC, the Weatherford campers jammed into line for the Book Bus, anxiously awaiting their opportunity to make their selection. Since they had traveled such a great distance, they were allowed to select not one, but two books to take home – an announcement that almost threw one youngster into a fit of joy.
While the campers visiting today ranged mainly from about second to fifth grades, a set of younger kids will be making the same trek from Weatherford next week to visit the Book Bus.
It was great today to see so much excitement for reading – and for the Thunder.
- Karina Henderson
