Irving residents are invited to participate in the city’s sixth annual community reading event, The Big Read. The chosen novel for Irving’s Big Read 2011 is “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain. Twain’s first full novel is an American classic with humor, adventure and a slice of Americana that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. Multiple copies of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and age-appropriate companion titles are available at all library locations or may be downloaded at http://irvinglibrary.lib.overdrive.com. The kick-off week of Irving’s Big Read includes the following programs.
The Big Twain Thang – noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 1, West Irving Library, 4444 W. Rochelle Road. The month-long celebration of reading and community kicks off with an old-fashioned country fair. Activities will include games, a fishing booth, square dancing, quilters, demonstrations, crafts, costumes and
live music.
live music.
Irving’s Big Read Reception – 7 p.m. Oct. 4, Central Library, 801 W. Irving Blvd. Cindy Lovell, curator of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum in Hannibal, Mo., and a Mark Twain biographer, will speak on Twain’s life and the implications of Twain’s work. Hosted by the Irving Heritage Society and the Friends of the Irving Public Library.
Mid-Week Mysteries – noon Oct. 5, Central Library, 801 W. Irving Blvd. The monthly mystery book club is celebrating Mark Twain by reading novels from Peter J. Heck’s Mark Twain mystery series.
Valley Ranch Live! Going Batty – 7 p.m. Oct. 6, Valley Ranch Library, 401 Cimarron Trail. Discover the world of bats with a live demonstration.
Irving Chautauqua – 2 p.m. Oct. 8, Central Library, 801 W. Irving Blvd. C.J. Critt, an award-winning audiobook narrator, reads selections from “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”
In addition, the Irving Public Library will host the Modern Tom Cover Art Contest: Who is Tom Today? Teens, grades 6-12, can submit their own version of a contemporary Tom Sawyer book cover. Rules and entry forms are available at all library locations and www.cityofirving.org/library.
Other programs throughout the month include geo-caching for teens, a dinner mystery theater at the Heritage Senior Center, a Mark Twain movie marathon, the puppet show “Tom Sawyer and the Great Fire: A Really Hot Show,” a haunted cave, and a performance by Dave Elhert, a Mark Twain impersonator, at the National Scouting Museum.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For details, visit www.neabigread.org. For a full listing of activities and discussions during Irving’s Big Read, visit www.cityofirving.org/library or call (972) 721-2606.
