Norco Fair's Read to Ride program rewards young readers with fair ride tickets

Isabel Hendrickson, Norco Fair vendor chair, presented the Read to Ride literacy incentive to the council, describing it as a partnership with the Riverside County Library System that uses the Beanstack app for tracking reading summaries. "For every summary they turn in, they get a reward in return, which is the ride tickets at the Norco Fair," Hendrickson said, noting vendors and local businesses are donating prizes.

Hendrickson said the program is open to children from pre‑K through sixth grade and that this year's program runs through Friday. She reported current signups between 27 and 37 children compared with about 67 participants at the end of last year's program and said the fair committee pays for the ride tickets and solicits sponsor donations (Woody Shaved Ice, Red's Baked Potatoes and other local vendors).

The council praised the outreach and asked staff to continue coordination with the library and local schools to boost participation in future years. Hendrickson said she hopes the program will "run on autopilot" next year with stronger school‑district outreach.

The presentation was made during the council's general presentations and public comment period; no formal action was requested or taken on the program.