THORNTON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 28, 2026--
Anythink Libraries, Adams County’s public library system, announces the return of mySummer, its annual summer-long initiative designed to spark curiosity, creativity and connection across the community.
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Running from June 1 through July 31, mySummer 2026 invites children, teens and adults to grow through a wide range of free, hands-on programs, inspiring events and nature-infused experiences offered across all seven Anythink locations.
Rooted in this year’s theme, “Grow,” the initiative encourages participants to explore new interests, build skills and branch out in ways that feel meaningful and accessible.
“We believe curiosity is the starting point for lifelong learning,” said Mark Fink, executive director of Anythink Libraries. “mySummer is designed to give people the space to grow, try something new and connect with others in ways that are both engaging and fun.”
As schools break for summer, mySummer provides no-cost enrichment opportunities that help keep curious minds active and engaged all season long.
Pre-registration for mySummer is open now through May 24, giving participants early access to limited-edition mySummer folders and the opportunity to select free tickets to local attractions, including the Butterfly Pavilion, Denver Botanic Gardens or Denver Zoo, while supplies last. Those who preregister can pick up their mySummer materials at all Anythink branches starting May 26.
Programming begins in-person across all Anythink locations starting June 1 and continues throughout June and July with experiences designed for all ages and interests.
Throughout June and July, Anythink branches will offer engaging programs at all branches, including:
In addition to districtwide programming, each Anythink branch will host localized experiences throughout the summer, including outdoor obstacle courses, animal visits, survival skills workshops, gardening programs and hands-on arts activities.
“Since launching mySummer in 2010, we’ve continued to expand how learning shows up beyond traditional spaces,” Fink said. “Programs like this create opportunities for people to grow individually while strengthening connections across the community.”
Community members can preregister through May 24. After May 26, participants can register online or in person at any Anythink location. Library cards are not required to participate in mySummer programs.
Following the mySummer programming, Anythink Libraries will open the Anythink Nature Library this August. The first-of-its-kind 33,000-square-foot library, and Anythink’s eighth branch, will blend indoor and outdoor experiences designed to help the community explore nature, develop environmental stewardship and build deeper connections with the natural world. This experience-driven space will invite visitors of all ages to explore their connection to nature through welcoming environments, hands-on TryIts and guidance from knowledgeable experts within a community hub designed for learning, reflection and discovery.
For more information and a full calendar of events, visit anythinklibraries.org/mysummer.
AboutAnythink Libraries
Anythink, an award-winning public library system, serves the residents of Adams County, Colorado via its seven branches, a bookmobile and an upcoming Nature Library and Express Library in Reunion. With a mission to “Open Doors for Curious Minds,” Anythink is a catalyst for innovation and provides comfortable spaces, accessible resources and hands-on programming for all ages. Guided by values of creativity, optimism, compassion and lifelong learning, the library system is committed to representing the diversity of Adams County and creating a sense of belonging for everyone. Anythink’s digital resources are available 24/7—including Anythink World, the library's custom virtual experience platform in the metaverse. The library’s customer experience also extends to specialty spaces and hands-on programs like The Studio, the Nature Library and mySummer. Whether you're exploring a new topic or mastering a skill, discover something new at Anythink. Learn more: anythinklibraries.org.
AboutmySummer
As an experience library, Anythink introduced mySummer in 2010 as a way for people of all ages—babies, kids, teens, adults—to let curiosity be their guide during the summer months. We encourage everyone to READ books that inspire, to THINK about new topics and questions and to DO all of the hands-on activities that help them experience the world around us. Programs like mySummer help close opportunity gaps by providing high quality, hands-on learning experiences to students of all ages and backgrounds.
Anythink introduced mySummer in 2010 as a way for people of all ages — babies, kids, teens, adults — to let curiosity be their guide during the summer months. We encourage everyone to READ books that inspire, to THINK about new topics and questions, and to DO all of the hands-on activities that help them experience the world. mySummer helps bring hands-on learning experiences to students of all ages and backgrounds.
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced more heat Tuesday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to the United States, with lawmakers set to vote on whether the British leader should be investigated by a parliamentary standards watchdog over the ill-fated decision.
Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, was due to testify to a group of legislators investigating how Mandelson, a scandal-tainted friend of Jeffrey Epstein, was given the key diplomatic job despite failing security checks.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee was set to quiz McSweeney on Tuesday morning, before the whole house debates a demand by the opposition Conservative Party for Parliament’s Privileges Committee to investigate Starmer’s explanations of how Mandelson came to be appointed.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that Starmer had “misled the House of Commons repeatedly” when he said that “full due process” was followed over Mandelson’s appointment.
It's a potentially dangerous day for Starmer, who has spent weeks fending off calls to resign over the Mandelson saga. Starmer fired Mandelson in September after new details emerged about the ambassador's friendship with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019.
Police opened an investigation into Mandelson in February over allegations that he passed on sensitive government information to Epstein when he was a member of the U.K. government in 2009.
McSweeney, a protégé of Mandelson who served as Starmer’s top aide, resigned in February, saying he took responsibility for appointing him as ambassador. He's certain to be asked about allegations by Olly Robbins, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, that Starmer’s staff pressured officials to rush through the confirmation so that Mandelson could be in the post at the start of the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2025.
Robbins' predecessor, Philip Barton, told the committee on Tuesday that he was concerned that Mandelson's known links to Epstein “could become a problem” in the future.
But he said that he wasn't consulted on the “political decision” to appoint Mandelson. It's rare but not unknown for U.K. ambassadors to be political appointees rather than career diplomats.
“I was presented with a decision and told to get on with it," said Barton, who left his job for unrelated reasons in January 2025 before Mandelson's security clearance was approved.
Ian Collard, the senior security official who briefed Robbins on the security checks, told the committee in a written statement that there was “pressure to deliver a rapid outcome,” though he said that it didn't affect his judgment.
Starmer has denied that anyone in his office put pressure on the civil service.
The prime minister fired Robbins earlier this month after the revelation that Mandelson was approved for the job against the recommendation of the government’s security vetting agency. Starmer has called it “staggering” that Foreign Office officials failed to tell him about the security concerns.
Critics say Starmer’s decision to appoint Mandelson in the first place is evidence of bad judgment by a prime minister who has made repeated missteps since he led the center-left Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024.
Starmer already defused one potential crisis in February, when some Labour lawmakers urged him to quit over the Mandelson appointment. He could face a new challenge if, as expected, Labour takes a hammering in local and regional elections on May 7, which give voters a chance to pass a midterm verdict on the government.
It would require a large number of Labour lawmakers to vote with the opposition on Tuesday for Starmer to be referred to the Privileges Committee, which has the power to suspend lawmakers, including the prime minister, from Parliament, for breaches of the rules.
Starmer urged Labour lawmakers to “stick together” and vote against the motion, calling it a “stunt” timed to damage the government before the May elections.
Censure by the committee exerts considerable moral pressure on politicians to resign. Its investigation into lockdown-breaking gatherings in government offices during the COVID-19 pandemic helped end the political career of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson quit as a lawmaker in 2023 after the committee found that he had repeatedly misled Parliament over the “Partygate” scandal.
Lord Peter Mandelson taking his dog for a walk near his home in London, England, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, second left, looks on as Leader of Britain's Conservative party Kemi Badenoch speaks during a debate on a motion on Privileges in the House of Commons in London, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (House of Commons via AP)
Leader of Britain's Conservative party Kemi Badenoch speaks during a debate on a motion on Privileges in the House of Commons in London, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (House of Commons via AP)
This is a screen grab of former former No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney appearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee about Lord Peter Mandelson's vetting process at the Houses of Parliament in London, Tuesday April 28, 2026. (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA via AP)
This is a screen grab of former former No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney appearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee about Lord Peter Mandelson's vetting process at the Houses of Parliament, in London, Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech in north-west England, Britain, Monday, April 27, 2026. (Temilade Adelaja/Pool Photo via AP)
