Cabarrus Libraries help you 'Unearth a Story' this summer

Published on May 19, 2026

Starting June 1, the Cabarrus County Public Library System will highlight themes of discovery, curiosity and exploration for the 2026 Summer Reading Program.

This year’s slogan, “Unearth a Story,” encourages participants of all ages to dig into a packed schedule of engaging events and activities at their local library branch.

Events run through August 1, but participants can log reading time and complete activities through August 15. Summer Reading will feature a variety of presenters and staff-led programs that focus on archaeology, magic and the joy of discovering hidden stories.

Activities vary by age group, and include crafts, educational opportunities, games, adventures and more.

Event highlights

Events are categorized by preschool, children, adults, family and teens.

Preschoolers can visit and play in the Construction Junction, a village that focuses on the machines that build the world around us.

Children can go back in time to prehistoric ages through dinosaur crafts, games and fossil digs, then travel to ancient Egypt through tomb excavations and hieroglyphic decoding. Other children's activities focus on space exploration through solar system games and crafts and training from the Cabarrus Aeronautics Space Administration.

Adults can fuel their creativity through photography lessons, hand quilting, jewelry-making and other crafts. They can also learn about ancient civilizations through guest speakers or explore their own history through genealogy programs and other activities.

The whole family can participate through interactive shows featuring magic, S.T.E.M., puppets and more.

Teen participants can create keepsakes like Egyptian cartouches, nature or dinosaur keychains, dinosaur magnets and paper moth taxidermy. There can also play games like history-themed Guess Who.

“The teen committee worked really hard and is excited for the programs we’ve scheduled this summer,” said Katlyn Wallace, a library assistant and lead of the Teen Programming Committee. “We have a lot of great prizes, and we’re super thankful to all the local businesses that provided those for us.”

Available raffle prizes

Raffle prizes are available for participants in three age groups: 6-11, 12-18 and 19 and over

Children’s prizes include a dinosaur projector and a National Geographic gemstone dig kit.

Teens can win an artist basket with a sketchbook and painting supplies, a video game basket with gaming accessories and merchandise and a sports basket with a soccer ball, football and portable Bluetooth speaker.

Adults can win a beach day basket with all the vacation essentials, a golf basket with equipment and a free round of golf and a coffee basket with a French press and travel mug.

For more information on all available raffle prizes, visit https://ccpl.my.canva.site/srp-prize-basket-website/.

Prizes are also available for individuals at different stages of the Summer Reading Challenge. This year’s challenge allows participants to complete the program by logging reading time or combining reading with activities.

Last year, 3,563 readers joined the Summer Reading program and read a combined 2,851,622 minutes.

To participate in the 2026 edition, visit any Cabarrus County Public Library branch (Concord, Midland, Mt. Pleasant, Harrisburg, Afton or Kannapolis) to register for a free library card or update your existing one.

You can log minutes and enter activities directly on the Beanstack website at https://www.beanstack.com/ or through the Beanstack app at https://landing.beanstack.com/mobile-app.

The app allows users to:

Scan barcodes to add titles to reading logs
Track total minutes read with timed reading sessions
View personal reading statistics and complete related activities

Get more information at the Library System's main Summer Reading page.