Local public servants read to children

Border Patrol Agent Michael Bernacke was just one of many of the local heroes who read books to children Saturday as part of the fifth annual American Hero Bookfair.

The event, put on by the the Friends of the Yuma County Libraries and the Yuma Reading Council, began at 11 a.m. and lasted until 6 p.m. at Barnes and Noble.

Bernacke found himself surrounded by a large audience of children who listened intently as he read them two books about desert animals.

"They were all pretty interested to hear the stories and about the Border Patrol mission," said Bernacke, who is assigned to the Yuma sector's Wellton Station. "I totally support events like this for children and for reading. It's an essential life skill."

All children who attended the book fair received a free book.

Other featured readers included officials from local police departments, Rural/Metro Fire Department, Yuma Fire Department and the military.

Yuma sector Border Patrol Chief Paul Beeson kicked off the reading with stories about the desert and police activities.

In addition to the story hours, there were plenty of other activities throughout the day to keep young readers busy, such as patriotic crafts, photo opportunities with the readers and library card signups.

Ruth Zinn, special events coordinator for Friends of the Yuma County Libraries, said the purpose of the event is to promote the importance of literacy.

Zinn said when she arrived at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, children were already lined up outside the store.

"Their faces were peering through the window," Zinn said. "The children were excited to come learn about our local heroes and be part of the activities."

Zinn said she expected about 600 children to attend the event throughout the day.

The event actually got under way on Friday, when the bookstore held a Pajama Party Storytime. Zinn said about 300 children attended that event.

Zinn added that as part of Saturday's story time hours, each of the featured readers were going to read the book, "Mommy I can dial 9-1-1."

"I think that it's important so the kids ... can be a hero for someone in an emergency situation," Zinn said.

As part of the book fair, a portion of Barnes and Nobles' sales Saturday were being donated to the Friends of the Yuma County Libraries and the Yuma Reading Council.

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James Gilbert can be reached at

jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.