THE BIG READ: PARKER COUNTY READS TOGETHER

The public is invited to attend the City Council meetings in the respective Parker County cities as the Mayors and the City Councils will proclaim “April 15-May 14, 2008 The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together,” advocating the program and its activities during that time period. Members of the Big Read Parker County Steering Committee will accept the proclamation and gift the Mayors and Council Members copies of My Àntonia and Reader’s Guides. Call for specific dates and locations, 817-598-6274.

Join us for a presentation on The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together program at the Weatherford Chamber’s Breakfast Before Business. My Àntonia will be introduced and information about upcoming events will be provided. Copies of My Àntonia and Reader’s Guides will be distributed to all attendees.

My Àntonia will be introduced to the membership. Short presentation by Jan Bruton on the prairie sunflower, a significant part of the environment in the novel. Copies of the book, Reader’s Guides, and Calendars of Events will be distributed.

“Listen Live” Linda Bagwell, host, will welcome members of The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together Steering Committee to talk about upcoming plans revolving around the community-wide reading of “My Àntonia.” Trivia contest. Prizes.

Month-long exhibit on loan from The Cather Foundation, Red Cloud, Nebraska

Enjoy exhibits at your local library and pick up free copies of My Àntonia and Reader’s Guides while they last.

Where are you reading your Big Read book? We want to know! Take a picture and send it to us! Did you read it on the treadmill? On the bus? At the laundromat? In class? Doctor's office? Stuck in traffic on South Main Street? Did you take it on vacation? Reading at home with your family? Pictures selected for use will be displayed at www.bigreadparkercounty.com and may be a part of the final video show shown at The Big Read Big Finale May 14 and also may be included in memory scrapbooks that will be on display at the Weatherford Library, Weatherford College Library and at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center. Simply submit the picture to lbagwell@wc.edu with the subject "My Big Read Book.” Please include your name and address and describe your picture and its location. You'll receive a special prize in the mail for participating! And the picture selected as “The Best” will win a bigger prize to be awarded during The Big Read Big Finale. Say “Cheese!” and send us those pictures!

My Àntonia will be introduced to the community. Trivia contest. Prizes.

Join the Mayors of Aledo, Azle, Springtown, Willow Park, Hudson Oaks, and Weatherford as they kick off Parker County’s Big Read by reading excerpts from My Àntonia and reading aloud official Proclamations declaring “April 15 - May 14, 2008, The Big Read Parker County Reads Together month.

The public is invited to attend community-wide kick-off at Lark Bookstore and enjoy wine and light hors d’oeuvres reception. My Àntonia Reader’s Guides and door prizes will be given away. Reception hosted by Lark Bookstore and Wine Styles.

There is such a thing as a free lunch, and you can get one, if you’re one of the first 20 to call for your reservation! FREE lunch for the first 20 who RSVP @ each location. (At the Doss, reservations must be made by Monday before the scheduled Wednesday luncheon. Lunch only $6 for reservations beyond first 20; credit cards accepted.)

Bring your copy of My Àntonia and join in a discussion group led by Jon Vandagriff at the Doss; Nancy Brown at Cappriccio’s and Beverly Crumbie and Julia Baker at Agapè. Reader’s Guides and door prizes will be given away.

Special guest speaker, scholar Betty Jean Steinshouer, will perform, “Willa Cather Speaks,” to the WHS 10^th graders, who are reading My Àntonia in their English classes.

Special Guest speaker, Betty Jean Steinshouer, will perform, “Willa Cather Speaks,” at the annual Friends of the Library luncheon.

Special guest speaker, Betty Jean Steinshouer, will perform, “Willa Cather Speaks.” Music of the era. Light refreshments will be served. Reader’s Guides and Calendars of Events will be distributed.

Bring your family to see the 1995 film version of “My Àntonia ,” directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Jason Robards, Eva Marie Saint, and Neil Patrick Harris. It was filmed in part at the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, Nebraska. No admission charge. Light refreshments and door prizes.

Weatherford College Homecoming attendees will be interviewed about their history with Weatherford College and the Weatherford community. Recorded interviews will become a part of the permanent archival history of the community.

Enjoy the lovely environment of the DHCC as Mary Evans and other members of The Bookies from the Parker County Women’s & Newcomers’ Club, lead a lively discussion about My Àntonia. Refreshments will be served. Books, Reader’s Guides, and drawings for door prizes. RSVP by April 18^th to Betsy at DHCC at 817-599-6168.

There is such a thing as a free lunch, and you can get one, if you’re one of the first 20 to call for your reservation! FREE lunch for the first 20 who RSVP @ each location. (At the Doss, reservations must be made by Monday before the scheduled Wednesday luncheon. Lunch only $6 for reservations beyond first 20; credit cards accepted.)

Bring your copy of My Àntonia and join in a discussion group led by Jon Vandagriff at the Doss; Nancy Brown at Cappriccio’s and Beverly Crumbie and Julia Baker at Agapè. Reader’s Guides and door prizes will be given away.

Bring your family to see the film, “O Pioneers,” based on Willa Cather’s 1913 novel of the same name. The plot: the story of Swedish immigrants, the Bergsons, in the farm country near the fictional town of Hanover, Nebraska, at the turn of the 20^th century. The main character, Alexandra, inherits the family farmland when her father dies, and she devotes her life to making the farm a viable enterprise at a time when other immigrant families give up and leave the prairie. The novel also recounts two romantic relationships - one between Alexandra and family friend Carl Linstrum, and another between Alexandra’s brother Emil and the married Marie Shabata. No admission charge. Free movie snacks and drawings for door prizes.

There is such a thing as a free lunch, and you can get one, if you’re one of the first 20 to call for your reservation! FREE lunch for the first 20 who RSVP @ each location. (At the Doss, reservations must be made by Monday before the scheduled Wednesday luncheon. Lunch only $6 for reservations beyond first 20; credit cards accepted.)

Bring your copy of My Àntonia and join in a discussion group led by Jon Vandagriff at the Doss; Nancy Brown at Cappriccio’s and Beverly Crumbie and Julia Baker at Agapè. Reader’s Guides and door prizes will be given away.

Bring your family to see “The Song of the Lark.” Based on the Willa Cather novel of the same name. Perhaps Cather’s most autobiographical work. “The Song of the Lark” charts the story of a young woman’s awakening as an artist against the backdrop of the western landscape. Thea Kronborg, an aspiring singer, struggles to escape from the confines her small Colorado town to the world of possibility in the Metropolitan Opera House. In classic Cather style, “The Song of the Lark” is the beautiful, unforgettable story of American determination and its inextricable connection to the land. No admission charge. Free movie snacks and drawings for door-prizes.

Sixth annual spring book festival. More than 40 Texas authors will be on hand to meet ‘n greet their readers and sign autographed copies of their work. Free adult and children’s workshops throughout the day. Heritage Scholarship Luncheon, sponsored by American State Bank, Weatherford, will highlight Willa Cather and My Àntonia in tabletop decorations of sunflowers and other prairie plants and The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together materials distributed during the luncheon. Readers Guides and door prizes. The afternoon awards program will recognize winners of the Third Annual Canis Latrin Writing Contest, this year based on themes of “My Àntonia ,” www.wc.edu, click on Books ‘n Authors ‘n All that Jazz logo.

Weatherford College Fine Arts department presents the play, “My Àntonia ,” as a part of The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together. Free copies of the book, Reader’s Guides and door prizes.

Enjoy the lovely environment of the DHCC as Charl Roberson leads a discussion about My Àntonia. Refreshments will be served. Books, Reader’s Guides, and drawings for door prizes. RSVP by May 2^nd to Betsy, DHCC, 817-599-6168.

There is such a thing as a free lunch, and you can get one, if you’re one of the first 20 to call for your reservation! FREE lunch for the first 20 who RSVP @ each location. (At the Doss, reservations must be made by Monday before the scheduled Wednesday luncheon. Lunch only $6 for reservations beyond first 20; credit cards accepted.)

Bring your copy of My Àntonia and join in a discussion group led by Jon Vandagriff at the Doss; Nancy Brown at Cappriccio’s and Beverly Crumbie and Julia Baker at Agapè. Reader’s Guides and door prizes will be given away.

Join the community-wide, old-fashioned HOEDOWN, reminiscent of what frontier settlers enjoyed when they “came to town” on Saturday night. Chuck-wagon food, great fiddlin’ for dancing and entertainment throughout the evening - a real hoedown in celebration of The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together. Free for all.

This year, the pageant joins The Big Read: Parker County Reads Together, theming the entire annual event around Willa Cather’s My Àntonia.*Annual fundraiser for Meals on Wheels Program.*

On your way home from work, join us for light refreshments in a one of the city’s loveliest settings, as we discuss My Àntonia, led by Dr. Barbara McGregor. A special performance by Kathleen Wildwood on the harp and a presentation by Jan Bruton on the sunflower will highlight this lovely culminating event. Free copies of the book and door prizes.  RSVP by May 9 to Barbara at 817-613-7243.

Join the planners, organizers, presenters and participants of the previous month’s activities and events and celebrate our community-wide accomplishments during The Big Read. Certificates of Achievements will be presented and expected guest speaker Mr. David Kipen, director of the National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., will address the crowd. Music of the era and a brief slide show of the previous month’s activities.