Make reading a real treat

Culver's, Scholastic partner to increase reading with Blue Barn library

Robert Schrimpf, 9, selects books out of the Blue Barn free library at Culver's on Wednesday. Schrimpf loves to read and made a free bookmark at the event.
Robert Schrimpf, 9, selects books out of the Blue Barn free library at Culver's on Wednesday. Schrimpf loves to read and made a free bookmark at the event.

You might leave your next family trip to Culver's with more than a dish of frozen custard.

The Blue Barn Library, a partnership between the local Culver's franchise and Scholastic, made its debut Wednesday evening, as families enjoyed activities and crafts over custard at the Jefferson City restaurant, located at 1920 Jefferson St. 

Children can borrow books from the free library on the patio for up to three weeks. When they return the books, a Culver's employee will give them a punch card that earns one punch per Blue Barn Library visit. After 10 visits, they earn a free scoop of frozen custard.

"Culver's is really big on education," said Gretchen Walz, who owns and operates the local franchise with husband Allen Walz and daughter Kendall Walz. "We just decided we wanted to do something along the lines of education, and when I saw this I thought, 'Oh, that just might work.'"

The Walz family got the idea a couple of months ago while visiting a Culver's restaurant in Wisconsin, where the chain is based.

A friend of theirs converted an old mailbox into the Blue Barn, enclosing it to protect the books, and Scholastic in Jefferson City was more than happy to fill it.

"We were fortunate enough to have 100 books donated from them. They wanted to give us 200," Walz said. "They said they would replenish anything that we needed. So as it takes off we're going to keep it going."

This is not the first education-related initiative the local Culver's franchise has undertaken. The restaurant offers its employees attending college an extra $250 per semester if they maintain a certain GPA. And Culver's offers its employees companywide a chance to apply for larger company-supported scholarships.

The library is a way to reach out to a different demographic.

"It's mainly geared toward the younger kids - more pre-K through third grade," Walz said. "We do have chapter books for the third-graders and more of a picture book for the littlest."

The Blue Barn Library is available during regular Culver's operating hours, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.