Five goats and their herders made their way to the top of the Hill on June 10 to visit the Chestnut Hill Library. They drew a crowd of parents, children and dozens of interested neighbors.

The event began with a goat meet-and-greet, followed by a goat parade, then the Philly Goat Project’s standard show, “Anansi and the Philly Goat" — an amalgamated adaptation of “Anansi the Spider” and “Billy Goat Scruff.” The Philly Goat Project concluded the event with a new segment to its traditional program, called “Ask a Goat,” where questions from the audience were "translated" to the goats and relayed back to the audience by Leslie Jackson, director of operations at the Philly Goat Project.

“We bring the people out,” said Karen Krivit, executive director and founder of the Philly Goat Project, who told the Local that by holding events at schools, libraries and beyond, the Philly Goat Project is more than goats. It’s an initiative that brings people from all walks of life together, putting smiles on faces and spreading joy through activities, story-telling, community and kindness.

“It’s a ton of community,” said Bonnie Soriano of Roxborough, who attended the event with her daughter, Miya. “[It’s] a way for us to continue to be engaged with the library over the summer … bringing together families, kids of all ages, interests, different schools … encouraging each other to build community.”

As summer begins, the Philly Goat Project will continue to visit libraries across the city to encourage people to sign up for summer reading. For more information about the Philly Goat Project and where they’ll head next, visit phillygoatproject.org/event-list.