THE BIG READ LAUNCHES SEPTEMBER 6 AT RIO GRANDE NATURE CENTER STATE PARK
Albuquerque Participates in Largest Nationwide Reading Event in History
August 15, 2008
On Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 10:00 AM the people of Albuquerque will celebrate the beginning of a great adventure with Tom Sawyer on the banks of a great river. No, it’s not the Mississippi; this adventure begins along the great Rio Grande at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park (2901 Candelaria Road NW) and marks the launch of Albuquerque’s participation in The Big Read, the largest nationwide reading event in history, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. All the citizens of Albuquerque are encouraged to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Throughout September and into November, there will be related book discussions, readings and events. Tom Sawyer will be available for FREE at various distribution centers throughout the city.
Surprises await families at the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park (RGNCSP) where they will be given free copies of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and greeted by a character from the book. Children are encouraged to dress up like Tom, Huck, or any character of the Tom Sawyer era and take part in the costume parade beginning at 10:45 AM. Visitors can participate in bug races or animal sounds workshops inspired by episodes in Tom Sawyer, or they can take ranger-led nature walks and partake in any of the other free activities offered throughout the day. The Big Read provides free parking for this event.
The event also marks the unveiling of renowned Mexico City eco-artist Yolanda Gutierrez’s installation “Currents of Change” at the RGNCSP, which will use found and natural materials to address the idea of migration/ immigration as expressed through the habits and challenges facing the migratory birds that pass through RGNCSP. Gutierrez will be collaborating on the project with Albuquerque public school students (ages 12 – 18) through Working Classroom, an organization which provides “professional development opportunities for talented young artists from historically ignored communities.”
The community-wide participation continues on Sunday, September 7 at 10:00 AM at the New Mexico State Fair’s Kids’ Pavilion where readings happen at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM and book distribution will continue until 1:00 PM. Other related events continue throughout the Fall, such as “Talk Like a Pirate Day” at Tingley Beach in Albuquerque on September 19 where kids can participate in a treasure hunt, sword-fighting, raft-building, an art activity from the O’Keeffe museum, or choose to explore Tom’s Island.
The Santa Fe Opera, also inspired by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is using “Life Along the River” as the theme for this year’s Student Produced Opera program, which reaches over 6,000 students a year throughout the state.
The Big Read was launched nationally in 2007 by the National Endowment for the Arts to address the decline in literary reading among all Americans, particularly youth, and to help to remedy the crisis by providing citizens in participating cities and towns with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. Each community is responsible for organizing their own activities, events, and discussions around their book. The National Endowment for the Arts provides an extensive website with comprehensive information about Big Read authors and their works. By 2009, approximately 400 communities in the U.S. will have hosted a Big Read. More information can be found at www.neabigread.org <http://www.neabigread.org> .
The Santa Fe Opera, the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, the Albuquerque/ Bernalillo County Library System, Working Classroom, Bernalillo County, the City of Albuquerque, the Albuquerque Cultural Services Department, New Mexico State Parks, The New Mexico State Fair and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum are all partnering to support The Big Read. The Albuquerque Journal and Comcast are media sponsors.
