Read the Book / Save the Date! Avon Public Library "One Book" events feature "The Wright Brothers" by David McCullough

The Avon Public Library invites everyone to join in the reading of “The Wright Brothers” by David McCullough and participate in the “Avon Reads One Book” events this fall. The activities kick off at the Avon Public Library on Saturday, October 29 @ 1:00 pm with special guest speaker Dr. Tom Crouch, senior curator of the Smithsonian National and Air Museum, talk on “The Wright Brothers: From the Family Circle to the World”.

Tina Panik, Manager of Adult Services at the Avon Public Library, encourages everyone to read the book & participate in the activities. “The core elements of the Wright Brothers story--their tenacity, ingenuity, and friendship--come to life with this series of programs. They had a bicycle shop, and we're hosting a bicycle expert; they studied birds, and we have an ornithologist coming to speak; they built a glider, so we're going to build one, too”.

Thanks to the sponsorship of Farmington Bank, Avon Education Foundation and the Friends of the Avon Public Library, the library is able to present a diverse lineup of distinguished speakers, exhibits & events that explore the themes of McCullough’s bestseller.

“Avon Reads One Book” talks & lectures:

· Saturday, October 29 @ 1:00 pm – Special guest speaker, Dr. Tom Crouch, senior curator, Smithsonian National and Air Museum, speaks on “The Wright Brothers: From the Family Circle to the World”.

· Thursday, November 3, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – Jerry Roberts, director of the New England Air Museum, talks on “Connecticut’s Role in Aviation History”

· Saturday, November 12, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – David Herlihy, author of “Bicycle: A History”, talks on “The Invention & Early Development of the Bicycle”

· Thursday, November 17, 2016 @ 7:00 pm – Author talk by Neil Hayward, “”Lost Among the Birds: Accidentally Finding Myself in One Very Big Year”

· Saturday, December 3, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – Dr. Richard Prum, curator of ornithology & head curator of vertebrate zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, presents “How Birds Fly”

· Saturday, December 17, 2016 @ 1:00 pm – Special guest speaker, Dr. Peter Jakab, chief curator, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum speaks on “The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age”

“Avon Reads One Book” special events:

· A STEM project to build a museum quality ¼ scale model of the 1903 Wright Flyer. The community will be invited to participate in public “build sessions” in mid-October to help build the plane in the library.

· The Avon Senior Center will sponsor a bus trip to the New England Air Museum on Friday, October 21, 2016. Contact the Senior Center at 860-675-4355 for details.

· Several exhibits are planned including a Gilder Lehrman panel exhibit of The Progressive Era; an 1881 bicycle made by the Pope Manufacturing Company on loan from the Connecticut Historical Society; artifacts from the New England Air Museum; and a gallery display depicting the Wright Brothers story.

The Avon Public Library has plenty of copies of “The Wright Brothers” available for check out; please call 860-673-9712 to reserve your copy. All events in the library are free & open to the public, no reservations. The Avon Public Library is at 281 Country Club Road, Avon CT 06001, www.avonctlibrary.info.