The 32 pages of this “book” don’t turn or fold but rather tell the story interactively.
It’s called “David’s Walk,” located in Gilmore Park in Holly Hill.
The literacy trail takes readers on a foot path in learning about autism, while asking participants to sometimes sing, count, skip or recite the alphabet before reaching the next “page” of the story.
Thirty-two wooden posts connected to boards are spaced out in short distances, and each board engages the reader in a story.
Holly Hill got the first literacy trail in Orangeburg County, with two more now open, in Eutawville and Vance, respectively.
The Holly Hill trail is called “David’s Walk” after a local child who is autistic, according to Holly Hill Library Director Ashley Jackson. David is her nephew.
Together with the Orangeburg County Library and Save the Children, “David’s Walk” officially opened in October.
'This is a start,” Jackson said. “Our community deserves the same services as a larger community and we plan to do our part here in Holly Hill to ensure we are educating, enriching and inspiring our community.”
“Rural areas can be misunderstood, ignored, or worse yet, forgotten,” she said.
“The trail is in honor of my nephew and every child who is faced with challenges and realities of autism in a rural community,” she said.
Jennifer Barnes, along with her husband and children also attended Friday’s event.
The Barnes family lives in Eutawville.
“Our oldest son has high-functioning autism and ADHD,” Barnes said.
She said “David’s Walk” causes her to feel “very encouraged and very hopeful.”
Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, praised the Orangeburg County Library and the Holly Hill Library for working to promote literacy and raise awareness of autism.
Save the Children S.C. Director Sonia Gass said “David’s Walk” is an example of “Taking the literacy out of the normalcy of the school and put it in the community.”
She said the trail promotes spending time together and learning literacy.
Orangeburg County Library Director Anna Zacherl said funding for “David’s Walk,” and the two additional reading trails, came from a $30,000 grant.
She also noted that the county library paid in around $8,000 from its programming budget to have them installed in Holly Hill, Vance and Eutawville.
The Orangeburg County Library also made the pages to fill in the wooden displays on “David’s Walk.”
