More Than a Field Trip: Wyoming Reads Returns to Laramie County Library System

For two hours on the morning of May 19, Laramie County Library System will become something truly extraordinary: the gathering place for more than 1,000 first graders celebrating the joy of reading.

Buses will line 22nd Street. Storytimes will echo through meeting rooms, reading spaces, offices, and hallways. Community leaders, library staff, elected officials, educators, and volunteers will spend the morning reading aloud to children who are just beginning to discover what books can mean in their lives.

From 10:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, May 19, 1,072 students from Laramie County School District 1, Laramie County School District 2, private schools, charter schools, and homeschool families will participate in Wyoming Reads, a statewide literacy celebration that provides every participating first grader with a brand-new hardcover book to take home and keep. Across Wyoming, similar celebrations will be taking place in communities throughout all 23 counties, creating a shared statewide library experience centered on literacy, books, and children.

But Wyoming Reads is about far more than giving away books. It is about creating a moment children remember and a tradition communities continue building together year after year.

The story behind Wyoming Reads began with one woman’s belief in the power of literacy.

In 1996, the Sue Jorgensen Library Foundation was established to support libraries and advance childhood literacy throughout Wyoming. After learning about a community initiative that provided books to every first grader, a group of educators, librarians, parents, and civic leaders launched “Casper Cares, Casper Reads” in Natrona County in 1999.

What started as a local effort quickly grew into something much larger. By 2006, the program expanded statewide as Wyoming Reads, eventually reaching children in all 23 Wyoming counties. Since its inception, approximately 133,000 hardcover books have been distributed to first graders across the state.

The program was founded by John Jorgensen in honor of his late wife, Sue Jorgensen, whose dedication to literacy inspired the initiative. John has often shared Sue’s belief that “until someone can read, they can’t really do anything else.”

That belief continues to shape Wyoming Reads today.

At Laramie County Library System, preparation for this year’s event has been underway since September 2025. Staff members have spent months coordinating with schools, educators, volunteers, and community partners to organize schedules, spaces, readers, performances, logistics, and book distribution for more than a thousand students.

The celebration will stretch throughout the library and into the Cheyenne Civic Center, with 19 separate activity locations hosting storytimes and experiences throughout the morning.

Children will hear stories read by community leaders including Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, Wyoming First Lady Jennie Gordon, Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins, Laramie County Commissioners Gunnar Malm, Troy Thompson, Linda Heath, and Ty Zwonitzer, LCLS Board members Steven Leafgreen, Kris Rude, and Stacia Berry, staff from the Wyoming State Library, and library staff from departments across the system.

At the Civic Center, students will also participate in a Summer Reading Challenge-themed storytime and enjoy a performance by the East High School Drama Department. The East High Drama Department has participated in Wyoming Reads for many years making it a tradition at the school. This year, the LCLS staff member leading the Summer Reading Challenge storytime is a former East High student who once participated in Wyoming Reads herself alongside the drama department when she was in high school, creating a meaningful full-circle moment.

At the end of the event, every child will leave with their book and information about the upcoming Summer Reading Challenge.

The event will create significant activity throughout the downtown area and library campus during the morning hours. Community members planning to visit the library on May 19 should expect heavy bus traffic, crowded public spaces, and limited access to portions of the parking lot.

All buses will be parked along 22nd Street during the event, and the library parking lot will be inaccessible from 22nd Street between 10:00 a.m. and noon. Visitors are encouraged to plan library visits after the event whenever possible.

As part of the celebration, Laramie County Library System will also provide Library Café coupons for participating bus drivers as a thank you for helping transport students safely to and from the event.

Homeschool families interested in participating in Wyoming Reads are also welcome to receive a book. Families should contact Abby Rowswell for additional information.

For many children, the memory of Wyoming Reads will last far longer than the morning itself. Long after the buses leave and the rooms return to normal, more than a thousand students will head home carrying a book that is entirely their own and a reminder that reading is something worth celebrating.