MILTON — On July 16, the Milton Public Library's STEAM program will offer library member an opportunity celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11, with the crew of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin, took off for the moon. On July 20, 1969, the craft landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong was the first human to step on another planetary body. The flight returned safely the following day.
"We will honor the Apollo 11 anniversary by piecing together a LEGO Saturn V launch vehicle from 2 to 2:30 p.m. and then watching a movie of the Apollo 11 flight from 4:30 to 6 p.m.," said Kevin Liss, library manager.
They will have constellation crafts for the younger children to make and keep when finished. Liss said the Apollo 11 celebration is part of the county's overall STEAM program, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
According to Liss, the Santa Rosa library system broke the acronym STEAM into pieces and every library has their own specialties. All of the STEAM programs will cross over into another area at some point in the building and design processes.
The Pace library concentrates on working with magnets while Milton works with architecture. Gulf Breeze works with robotics programs. Jay library works with math, and Navarre, Liss said, has started an art program.
The STEAM events are free to the public, however the constructed projects remain the property of the libraries, Liss said.
The materials for the projects are provided by the friends groups that most libraries have. The Jay library did say that they do not have a group yet but are looking for volunteers. If you are interested in starting a friends group or finding out more about our county libraries, call the administration number 850-981-7323 and follow the prompts.
The STEAM events at Milton have been getting bigger and bigger, said Liss. At their April event, they had 30 participants, May grew to 50 participants and at their June STEAM event, building sand castles and sensory bags, drew 170 people.
Liss suggested going to the library websites through www.santarosa.fl.gov and follow the prompts to find out specifics on each library and what they have available and for volunteer opportunities.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: STEAM program celebrates Apollo 11 anniversary