Young readers at the Elizabethton/Carter County Public Library received a special visit on Tuesday and got to learn about America’s pastime… the game of baseball.

For Tuesday’s installment of Story Time as part of the Summer Reading Program, the young library patrons got the chance to meet a pair of players from the Elizabethton Twins. Tyler Palm, of Michigan, and Brian Rapp, of New Jersey, stopped by the library to read to the children. Both Palm and Rapp are right-handed pitchers for the Twins.

During Story Time, Rapp read the book “Pete the Cat; Play Ball!” to the children.

In the book, lovable character Pete the Cat is ready to try his hand at a game of baseball. And, while Pete wants to do the best for his team, he doesn’t score a home run. However, he had fun and did his best, and that is what is important.

After Rapp finished reading, the children got the chance to ask the players questions. One of the young readers asked them if they had always wanted to play baseball.

“I always wanted to play baseball since I was your age,” Rapp told the young readers. “I actually went to a library when I was your age, and sat just like this in a reading program and got to meet a couple of baseball players, and I knew then that I wanted to play baseball.”

Other questions asked included how fast they can throw a ball and if they had ever hit a home run.

Palm asked the children if any of them played sports and several of the young readers responded that they did.

“Play as many sports as you can, because you will have a lot of fun,” Palm told the kids.

Both Rapp and Palm encouraged the kids to be like Pete the Cat when he played baseball and to always try their very best.

“If you work hard, you can achieve things,” Rapp said.

The Elizabethton Twins kicked off their season in town last week. During the summer, Joe O’Brien Field, where the Twins play, will play host to a variety of special events for the team’s home games. The Elizabethton/Carter County Pubilc Library will be playing a prominent role in a few of those special events.

On July 22, children are invited to come out for Touch A Truck Night at the park. July 27 will be “Kites and Strikes Night,” and the children will get the chance to create their own kites for the opportunity to win a prize. August 7 will be Library Rocks Night to celebrate the Summer Reading Program. Young readers can get free admission to the game by bringing their summer reading log with them.

During all the events the library will participate in at the park children will receive free books while supplies last.