Book Harvest will host a free block party that will serve as a community-wide celebration of kids, books, and the nonprofit’s 10th birthday on Saturday, July 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Diamond View Park on the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham.
The afternoon will be filled with family activities and celebratory birthday treats. Every child – from infants to high schoolers – will receive a free, special birthday edition bag of Scholastic’s book The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds (in English or Spanish) as a gift to the community. Plus, the first 800 attendees will receive a complimentary Locopop. Bags of culturally inclusive, age-appropriate books will also be available for everyone to take home and keep forever.
Food trucks will be on site, beloved mascots (including Wool E. Bull) will mingle among the crowd; the Poetry Fox will pen custom poems on his typewriter; hip hop, soul, and electronic musician (and Durham City Council member) Pierce Freelon and his daughter, Stella, will perform on stage during a special presentation at 2 p.m.; NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will do a reading from The Word Collector at the 2 p.m. presentation; Hayti Heritage African Dance Instructors will teach willing participants a special routine at 2:30 p.m.; select community partners will provide information about their organizations; and a DJ will spin festive, family-friendly tunes.
Book Harvest’s outdoor celebration includes a contactless option for visitors to drive through anytime between 1 and 4 p.m. to pick up birthday treats. Signage along Vivian Street in front of Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) will provide clear and easy directions. All in attendance are encouraged – although not required – to wear masks, especially those who have not been vaccinated and those who may be unable to maintain distance.
The Block Party will take place at Diamond View Park, the grassy area adjacent to DPAC and NanaSteak. Free parking will be available in the North Parking Garage at 305 West Pettigrew Street, a short walk away.
“We’re always on a mission to nourish young minds by filling their worlds with an abundance of books because we know that, as we often say, books build brains,” said Book Harvest’s Founder and Executive Director Ginger Young. “The July 17th celebration is another example of how, together, we can keep learning alive with books and help realize our vision of a world in which reading, learning, and access to information are considered rights, not privileges, so that all children can thrive.”
About Book Harvest:
Book Harvest provides an abundance of books and ongoing literacy support to families and their children from birth and serves as a model for communities committed to ensuring that children are lifelong readers and learners. Since its founding in 2011, Book Harvest has provided more than 1.5 million books to children in central North Carolina and beyond. Learn more at www.bookharvest.org.
Links for more information:
Thanks to Book Harvest for this Capcom story & graphic.
