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'Tom Sawyer' Kicks Off Big Read Program In New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- The New Rochelle Public Library will launch its Big Read program in celebration of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," with a free, family-friendly kick-off event on Sunday, May 3.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture by exposing citizens to great works of literature and encouraging them to read for pleasure and enrichment.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture by exposing citizens to great works of literature and encouraging them to read for pleasure and enrichment.

 Photo Credit: Contributed
Mark Twain, author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," will be played by a Twain impersonator at the Big Read event.

Mark Twain, author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," will be played by a Twain impersonator at the Big Read event.

 Photo Credit: Contributed
The Big Read event will kick off with the book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."

The Big Read event will kick off with the book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."

 Photo Credit: Contributed
Cassandra Huerta

The event will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the main library. The afternoon will include an opportunity to “meet” Mark Twain as Alan Kitty, acclaimed Twain impersonator, strolls through the library before conducting a Q&A session in the Ossie Davis Theater. At 3 p.m., a riveting keynote address by Cindy Lovell, Twain historian and executive director of the Mark Twain Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, will reveal fascinating information about Twain and his now-classic novel. 

A performance of scenes from the book by nine talented New Rochelle students from the Big Read Reader’s Theater Troupe will cap the presentations. Throughout the event, refreshments and games right out of 1840s St. Petersburg, Missouri, will set the scene of the story. Crafts, sack races, magnet fishing, a (fake) frog-jumping contest and other games will take place on Library Green, weather permitting, and in the library. Everyone will receive a free copy of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (while supplies last.) 

The event is made possible by the library’s third Big Read grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. “All residents, no matter their age or interest in reading, can participate in this terrific community project,” said Tom Geoffino, library director. “This is a great opportunity for everyone to explore or revisit enduring themes.” 

“We look forward to working with our many community partners,” said Haina Just-Michael, president of the library’s Board of Trustees. “It is so important for children to see adults enjoying a good book, as it helps them develop a lifelong love of reading. Together with our partnering organizations, schools, and houses of worship, we are working towards a community of readers.”

For more information, please contact Barbara Davis, NRPL community relations coordinator, at 914-632-8254. A full calendar of events can be found by clicking on the “Big Read” logo on the library’s website, www.nrpl.org. Follow the programs on Instagram (@n.r.p.l), Twitter (@nrplibrary or @librarynew) and Facebook at www.facebook.com/NRPublicLibrary.

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