Newtown Reads And Volunteers!

To the Editor:

Thanks to all of you Newtowners who worked so hard to make our community read of To Kill A Mockingbird such a huge success. A better name for NewtownREADS is NewtownVOLUNTEERS.

It all started on March 2 with a small army of volunteers passing out 2,000 copies of To Kill A Mockingbird and ended with the outstanding performance on Saturday of the mock trial, directed and produced by Newtown’s Doug MacHugh. In-between we enjoyed book discussions led by the dynamic leaders Julie Stern, Gordon Williams, and Joanne Rochman, saw Gregory Peck on the big screen, made possible by Tom Mahoney, the Edmond Town Hall Theatre manager, and enjoyed the insightful commentary provided by Jack Leopold. We were visited by New York Times best-selling author and Harper Lee biographer Charles Shields, who was duly impressed by our talented high school students and English teachers.

The culmination of NewtownREADS was the wonderful mock trial, which occurred this past Saturday. Doug MacHugh put together a dream cast composed of homegrown and professional talent. These actors volunteered their time and talent and created a truly memorable show. Terry Polvay was Doug’s stage manager and did a wonderful job assisting him with behind-the-scenes details. Joanne Keane created costumes from thrift store finds for the cast. She had help from others in town, including Naser, who owns the hair salon next to the meeting house. He jumped in when asked to give Atticus a 1930s’ style haircut minutes before show time. The crew composed of Jason Shrier, Bradley Harris, and Malcolm Pepin were also incredibly talented with lights and staging. They received great hometown support from Tom Swetts and Ethan from the Newtown High School.

 And then there was the cast! What a gifted group of individuals: Nathan LeGrand, SarahZane Moore, Sterling Swann, and Freedome Bradley were all remarkable in their portrayal of the characters we grew to love and fear in Harper Lee’s classic novel. They were joined on stage by Newtowners Julie Stern, Ray Horvath, John Sullivan, Bill Lavery, Scot Wilson, Cliff Kraich, and Mary Lou Sullivan. So much talent right here in our home town. The children Meghan Davis, Reid Higham, and Patrick Sullivan also added much to the drama. And thanks as well to all the local jurors! Doug pulled all of this off somehow — what a remarkably gifted man!

This community read was certainly a group effort and all of us at the C.H. Booth Library want to thank all of you who helped in so many ways. Our town library is much more than a building that houses books. Our town library is really all about you who donate your time and talent. You are all wonderful. We hope you will join us on August 16 at the Edmond Town Hall to celebrate the library’s 75th birthday and the people who make it so special.

Sincerely,

Kim Weber

C.H. Booth Library Program Coordinator

34 Key Rock Road, Newtown                                              May 2, 2007