By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Dowagiac District Library's summer reading program, "Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds," will conjure up a real magician, Harry Potter lookalikes, Kamishibai stories, Renaissance Faire swords, snakes and a castle-building contest and teach participants to juggle.
Children's Librarian Alma Adams visited Justus Gage Elementary School fourth graders Wednesday afternoon to promote the program.
Sign-up begins June 13 and runs through June 30.
By a show of hands, many more students possess library cards than have participated in summer reading program.
Adams came equipped with 49 yellow-jacketed copies of "The Way to Go" for students to take home courtesy of three businesses, Perk 'n' Beans, Oil Can Alley and Division Tire and Battery.
The castle-building contest involves creating a structure on a 12-inch by 24-inch platform.
Adams said Miss Dowagiac Courtney Dufour will help judge the contest.
One lucky patron will win a copy of the sixth in the series about the boy wizard.
Excited youngsters wanted to know how they might get more than one chance in the drawing. "I think one requirement will be, 'Do you have a library card?' and put your name in," Adams said. "Have you joined summer reading club? and you can put another chance in. I have a couple more weeks to work on" details of that contest.
Sarett Nature Center July 22 "promised to bring their boa" constrictor, she said.
A chorus called out several, including:
 Prizes. When children sign up, each receives a reading log to complete and turn in for the drawing. Each "check-in week" (June 27, July 18 and Aug. 1) there are prizes, such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bell coupons, stickers, water bottles, book bags and bookmarks.
For one of the contests this summer Adams will give away four free tickets to see "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and free tickets for the Kalamazoo fair.
Each Monday there will be a new craft project to pick up and take home to make - "something new this year."
"It's educational."
"It's fun."
"It gives you something to do in the summer."
Most library programs occur on Fridays to avoid scheduling conflicts with Fitch Camp at Cable Lake. One group of students attends Mondays and Wednesdays, the other Tuesdays and Thursdays.
But no, she informed one crestfallen young man, the library doesn't offer water gun fights.
Adams can be contacted at 782-3826 for more information.