MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Public Library is hosting an Early Literacy Fair this week in an effort to get kids ready and excited for reading.

The free event takes place at the library from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Librarian Vicky Skane said the literacy fair is most ideal for children ages 5 and younger.

"The focus is on early childhood literacy skills," she said. "We want to get kids ready to be readers."

Skane said there will be different stations and games set up during the event, each with a different objective. One station will focus on fine motor skills, for example, she said.

Skane said there will also be a couple of storytellers on hand during the event, in addition to an eye doctor and a dentist.

There will also be refreshments for participants.

Skane said this is the first time the Moses Lake library has hosted a literacy fair. She said they thought it would be a fun way to get younger children interested in books and reading.

The Moses Lake Museum & Art Center is also participating in the literacy fair. They will be hosting a craft night at the museum during the same time as the literacy fair, museum manager Freya Liggett said.

"We want people to visit the library and when they're finished to come down and see us," she said.

Museum staff will help children create their own "story coin bag."

A story bag is a bag filled with wooden nickels that have various images, such as a balloon or cat, stamped on them. Children then pull out different coins at random and make a story using those elements.

"It's a fun activity parents can do with their kids or older siblings can do with younger kids," she said. "But they'll have the chance to make the coins and the bag with us."