Congratulations to the winners of the Nancy Carson Library Teen Ghost Story Contest 2026!

1st Place: Julianna Cole
2nd Place: Laci Hurt
3rd Place: Jessie Hill
3rd Place: Lorelei Trierwiler

Although we did not have enough submissions to conduct the high school portion of the contest this time, we are very hopeful to have more story tellers joining us next year.

Thank you to all participants, to the teachers who made sure to spread the word amongst their students, and to the Friends of the Nancy Carson Library whose support makes this scary tradition come to life every year.

Save the date for September next year! We are looking forward to seeing more spine-chilling stories from next year’s contest.

It’s BAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!
We are excited to bring back our Annual Teen Ghost Story Contest! 6th-12th graders are invited to bring their spookiest creations to life and share them with us.

Entry submissions begin Friday, August 21, and you may submit entries through Friday, September 25 at 6 p.m. (right before your Fall Break in Aiken County!). Entries must be typed, double-spaced, and less than 2,000 words.
We ask that entries be the student’s original work and have not been created or substantially assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

All entries must include:
Name
Age
School & Grade
Contact information
We have a Writing Pamphlet with some exercises to help budding writers that can be downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15oDW6pWwJ7kO2DRv7CR3w09NthHs6_cN/view?usp=sharing

Entries will be read and winners will be selected in October, with the winners invited to our “Toast Among Ghosts” on Thursday, October 22.
Three winners will be selected in each age category:
6th-8th Grade
9th-12th Grade
Prizes:
1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card
2nd Place: $25 Amazon gift card
3rd Place: $15 Amazon gift card

October 26 – November 5
Monday-Thursday
10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm

Hardbacks $1.00
Paperbacks 4/$1.00
Bag of Books $10.00
or
Donate a Bag of Books to Veterans!

Donations are still being accepted!

Nancy Bonnette Library
204 Park St. NE
Wagener, SC 29164
803-564-5396

Literacy SC is a Columbia-based nonprofit that teaches adults to read through personalized, one-on-one tutoring, free of cost. Once trained, volunteer reading tutors are matched with an adult learner. The commitment is one hour per week until 24 sessions are complete. All books and supplies are provided. Tutors and learners may meet at any ABBE library location. The fall Tutor Training Workshop will be September 26th at the Aiken County Public Library. Participation is free, but registration is required.

Volunteers can learn more about tutoring with Literacy SC at https://literacysc.org/volunteer/be-a-tutor/.
Register for the workshop by clicking the button below.
Join us and make a difference in our community!

Barnwell County Library
Monday, June 1 at 10:30 a.m.
40 Burr St, Barnwell, SC
Groups must register with the library manager prior to the event.

New Ellenton Branch Library
Monday, June 1st at 2:30 p.m.
113 Pine Hill Ave, New Ellenton SC
This location cannot accommodate groups

Edgefield County Public Library
Tuesday, June 2 at 10:30 a.m.
105 Court House Square, Edgefield
Groups must register with the library manager prior to the event.

Aiken County Public Library
Tuesday, June 2 at 2 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.
314 Chesterfield St. SW, Aiken
This location cannot accommodate groups

Denmark Branch Library
Wednesday, June 3 at 10:30 a.m.
5122 Carolina Hwy, Denmark
Groups must register with the library manager prior to the event.

Nancy Bonnette Branch Library
Wednesday, June 3 at 2:30 p.m.
204 Park St. NE, Wagener
This location cannot accommodate groups

Bamberg County Public Library
Thursday, June 4 at 10:30 a.m.
3156 Railroad Ave, Bamberg
Groups must register with the library manager prior to the event.

Jackson Branch Library
Thursday, June 4 at 2:30 p.m.
106 Main St, Jackson
Groups must register with the library manager prior to the event.

Nancy Carson Library
Friday, June 5 at 10:30 a.m
135 Edgefield Rd, North Augusta
This location cannot accommodate groups

Thank You Sponsors! Aiken Electric Cooperative, Inc., Aiken Women’s Club, Bamberg Family Practice, Friends of the Aiken County Public Library, Friends of the Barnwell County Public Library, Friends of the Edgefield County Public Library, Friends of the Jackson Library, Friends of the Nancy Carson Library Foundation, Generac, Herlong Ford, Inc., Home Federal Savings & Loan, Institute of Museum & Library Services, McDonald’s of Aiken, Phoenix Specialty Mfg. Co, Savannah River Mission Completion, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, South Carolina State Library, Tri County Community Foundation, The Willcox

Literacy SC, a Columbia-based nonprofit, announced the expansion of its free adult tutoring services to all 13 locations within the ABBE Regional Library System, spanning Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, and Edgefield counties.

This expansion builds on the foundation laid in July 2024 by Aiken residents Janet Kabel and the late Loretta Beckner. These two volunteers first brought Literacy SC’s Turning Pages adult reading program to Aiken and served as the branch’s co-coordinators for a year. Their dream to provide 1-on-1 reading support for the community has now grown into a four-county regional resource.

Adults who want to improve their reading can enroll by calling 803-679-1990. Volunteers who want to be a trained tutor and help change someone’s life can visit LiteracySC.org/be-a-tutor to learn more about the commitment.

All Small Branch Libraries will close at 5pm.
Jackson, Johnston, Midland Valley & New Ellenton will open at 12pm.

Hours at Aiken, Bamberg, Barnwell, Edgefield and North Augusta remain unchanged.