“Color Our World” is the theme for this new mural inside the North-East Library’s parking lot. | Photo by Dorri Partain

Dorri Partain

Managing Editor

The North-East Branch (6000 Wilson Ave.) of the Kansas City Public Library (KCPL) hosted a painting party on Saturday, June 28 for area youngsters willing to add colorful strokes of paint to the outdoor mural gracing a circular retaining wall in the library’s parking lot.

The party was slated to fill a six-hour time slot, where kids and teens could grab a paint brush, a hot dog and drink, or sign up for the Summer Reading Program.

This mural’s design echoed the theme for this year’s reading program, “Color Our World.” Teen Librarian Ty Johnson and Summer Intern Kayden Browning prepared the wall by cleaning and painting over a previous mural that had faded and had begun to peel. Johnson and Browning painted the upper sky portion, then painted black outlines for the rest of the design that would be filled by area youth.

As families and teens dropped in to assist with the project, work progressed quickly and the majority of the mural was completed around 2 p.m. — two hours earlier than projected.

Work on this mural began about three weeks ago and the project went smoothly, Children’s Librarian Irma Reyes said in an interview, Saturday, as she assisted during the event by washing brushes and filling cups with acrylic paint.

To protect the mural, Johnson will be applying a coat of sealer as time and weather permits.

Johnson joined the staff at the North-East branch 10 months ago, he said, and has been busy engaging area teens in library programming. In addition to its Teen Donut Drop-In on the third Saturday of the month, Johnson oversees other activities, which range from “teen terror” scary movies on Friday afternoons to Juice and Paint every Monday evening.

Saturday activities for teens range from Video Game Club on the last Saturday of the month to a Merch Makin’ craft from 1 to 3 p.m., on Saturday, July 19.

For more library activities that promote reading, art and social experiences, check the Kansas City Public Library’s website at www.kclibrary.org. Many events at the North-East Branch are also listed on the Northeast News Community Calendar.