A Tale of Two Marathons - A Great Summer Reader Concept

As you know, we are always trumpeting about the many ways Summer Reader can be used beyond summer reading. Teen Tech Week, Teen Read Week, spring and winter break programs, and so much more. But the folks at the Hopkinton Public Library in Hopkinton, MA may have taken the cake this time - they are sponsoring a Reading Marathon and EVERYONE is invited to participate!

The Story
In 490 BC Greece was invaded by the Persian Army. Legend has it that as the city of Athens sent troops to support the city of Marathon, where the invasion was to occur. When the Greeks won the battle, a messenger ran the distance from Marathon to Athens with news of the victory. The event served as inspiration for the 26 mile marathon race, introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics, and originally run between Marathon and Athens.

This year celebrates the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon and the historic run taken by that messenger.

Hopkinton, MA is not only the start point of the famous Boston Marathon (run in April) but also is the sister city of Marathon, Greece.

The Program
With the support of the Hopkinton Athletic Association, the Boston Athletic Association and a host of local organizations and businesses, the Hopkinton Public Library is celebrating the marathon with a reading marathon of it's own.

VIEW THE SUMMER READER PAGE MADE BY THEM HERE!

Readers are encouraged to read 26 hours or 26 books. Upon sign up, entrants were issued official race numbers just as they would do in a marathon and also received rubber bracelets and official tee shirts. Participants can read multiple marathons, and upon completion of each marathon, can participate in a medal ceremony to receive their prize.

Librarians Denise Kofron and Susan Marshall knew that Summer Reader would be the best way to manage such a major reading event. "We talked about the marathon concept, and we knew it was something we could do," explained Denise. "We immediately called Maureen Ambrosino (their contact through the State of Massachusetts for Summer Reader) and she was happy to help and we set it up very quickly!"

The program has been incredibly successful and has readers participating not only from Hopkinton and surrounding communities but also from Greece, Rhode Island, Virginia and Kansas. There's still time to participate and say you've completed a marathon! We highly recommend you check out this impressive program.

For more information:
The Hopkinton Library
http://www.hopkintonlibrary.org/hopkinton/
Massachusetts Summer Reading with link to Hopkinton
http://www.readsinma.org/hopkinton/
About the Battle of Marathon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Marathon
The City of Marathon
http://www.marathon.gr/en/
The official homepage of the Boston Marathon
http://www.bostonmarathon.org/

Claudia Loves Evanced!

The "We Loved Evanced" video competition is now closed from further entries. Claudia Hackworth, our Senior Account Manager had her own ideas about why our customers love us and she enlisted a bit of help from...well, you'll see.

Click here to see some of the reasons you (and Claudia!) love Evanced.

Sorry Claudia, staff members aren't eligible for any prizes, but this one is too good to not share!