WYNNE — An old newsstand that once belonged to the Wynne Progress has been repurposed into a Free Little Library.
Wynne Junior High EAST students Payton Hall and Vesa Batchelor delivered the Free Little Library to Malone Street Park on Tuesday with the help of EAST facilitator Chelsea Hudson.
The newsstand had initially been given to Wynne Junior High School to help distribute lesson plans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Batchelor said Hudson initially approached her about a way to give the newsstand a new life.
“I was like, ‘OK,’ so I started researching ideas and came to the idea of a Free Little Library since there aren’t that many around here,” she said.
The project gained steam when Hall and her family moved to Wynne last fall.
“Vesa approached me and asked if I wanted to help her finish her project, which is a Free Little Library,” Hall said. “She already had the books, the theme, and the newsstand. The whole problem was just getting the vinyl on there and labeling it and figuring out where it was going to go. It took so much trial and error.”
The two plan to install more free little libraries in other parks in the community. They are currently on the hunt for more newsstands.
The EAST program also thanked Wynne Parks & Rec Director Zach Morris for helping make their project a reality.
