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Big Read dinner held
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Victorian chamber music by Coralie Runyon Jones Limestone Chamber Orchestra greeted the guests to the Maysville Convention Center Wednesday evening to celebrate the beginning of the National Endowment for the first Big Read program in our area. The book chosen by the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton was set in Victorian era and the evening program and meal reflected that time period.
KGMC Director Dawn Browning and Education Curator Dr. Jim Shires welcomed the guests and Dr. Ed Story, president of Maysville Community and Technical College spoke briefly about the importance of reading before the guests were served a typical five course Victorian dinner of soup, meat and vegetables, salad, dainties and ended with the fifth course of melon, nuts and raisins and spiced coffee. The meal was prepared by D & D Catering and sponsored in part by the Bank of Maysville and the city of Maysville.
Gov. Steve Beshear was unable to attend but sent his endorsement, "One of the best investments we can ever make in ourselves is to read. Reading is not only a gateway skill to academic success, but it also develops one's creativity, critical thinking, writing and comprehension skills. The value of becoming a lifelong reader is immeasurable."
Congressman Geoff Davis, also unable to attend sent his support, "Your work to promote literacy and the appreciation of history and culture is impressive. The ability to read is a fundamental building block for our nation. Literacy affects our families, our economy and the very fabric of our communities and government. The fact that Mason County has undertaken this expansive literacy initiative speaks volumes about the aspirations of your community."
The keynote address was given by Ms. Erika Koss, literature specialist with the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Koss is the series editor of all The Big Read Reader's Guides, she also manages the "Literary Landmarks' component of The Big Read, which supports poetry-related historic sites.
Before she moved to Washington, D.C., Erika was an adjunct professor of English at three San Diego universities where she especially enjoyed teaching British poetry and African novels. A native Californian, Erika holds a B.S. from The Master's College and a M.A. from San Diego State University. She lives in Maryland.
Ms. Koss had spoken to English classes earlier in the day at St. Patrick School and Maysville Community and Technical College on The Age of Innocence. Several area schools are using the book as part of their course work. She focused on the parallels of the book, written in the 1920s and set in 1870s New York, to today's societal issues and how it still has relevance to our lives today,
Kentucky Gateway Museum Center was awarded the NEA federal grant for The Big Read program in May of this year. The Big Read is locally sponsored by The Ledger Independent, R.S.V.P., Mason County Public Library, Maysville Community and Technical College, Mason County Schools and The Hayswood Foundation.
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