AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library hosted a community event, Book Bash, to kick off an annual free summer reading program on Saturday.

The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library teamed up with Rise Augusta and the United Way of the CSRA to host the event at Pendleton King Park on Saturday.

With school out for the summer, literacy rates decline, and children can lose up to three months of reading progress.

The impact can be even greater in parts of the csra where access is lower to books and enrichment opportunities.

This year in the CSRA, only 33% of students are reading at average or proficient levels.

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The Book Bash hopes to cultivate an excitement for reading while also comb

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