Newton, NC – Each year, the Catawba County Library hosts a fun-filled Summer Learning adventure to keep children actively engaged and to invite the entire community to connect, explore, and grow. This year’s theme – ‘Imagine Your Story’ – focuses on fairy tales, folklore, mythology, local history, and personal genealogy.

The spotlight performer this month is Yasu Ishida, a Myrtle Beach, SC-based entertainer who combines magic, origami, Japanese theater, music, and stories in a multicultural show. On Monday, July 27 at 3 pm, he will treat kids to an online adventure called Dreamer’s Carnival. The Zoom-based show will introduce viewers of all ages to the art of kamishibai, a form of Japanese picture board storytelling, and it will showcase Ishida’s expertise in traditional paper-folding as he produces a variety of animal figures and other origami creatures.

Registration for the performance is available through the library’s online events calendar (www.catawbacountync.gov/library) or via https://forms.gle/7Pp1MNYgmgkAyTCB8. Registered participants will be notified of the Zoom code prior to the presentation.

Ishida was born in Ube, Japan. Inspired by the movie Patch Adams, he came to the United States to become a professional hospital clown. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre for Young Audiences and also graduated from the prestigious Chavez Studio of Magic.

Yasu has been working with kids all over the country, including at Disney Summer Stage Kids in New York, the Florida Storytelling Festival, the Hawaii Book & Music Festival, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C.

Summer Learning activities and challenges are still available for families who would like to register. Many of them are tied to the ideas and themes in Dreamer’s Carnival, and all of them can be done affordably from home with instructions and forms that are available online as well as at the local library. Completing these activities will help participants earn badges as part of their Summer Learning goals and also help them become eligible for grand-prize drawings in August.

For more information about Summer Learning or the Catawba County Library’s resources and services, visit www.catawbacountync.gov/library, call 828.465.8665, email [email protected], or visit them at www.facebook.com/catawbacountylibrarysystem.