After three months and over 15 different events, Jacksonville’s Public Library is ready to close the cover on one, truly Big Read. According to The Big Read’s website, the program is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture.

The Alabama Statewide Committee selected The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain for the first statewide Big Read. The committee said the book is one that everyone has at least heard about, if not read. Also, it is on many school-reading lists, as it appeals to all ages. It has a small town theme that will appeal to many of the people in Alabama that makes it the perfect match for the Alabama Tourism initiative for 2010 Year of the Alabama Small Town & Downtown.

To help everyone dive deeper into the world of Tom Sawyer, Jacksonville Public Library held events for both young and old readers. The program kicked-off with “A Visit with Mark Twain” featuring Jim Aycock. Delores Hydock discussed the myths associated with the times of the book in her program: “Dead Cats & Spunk Water: Superstitions in the Writings of Mark Twain.”

Jacksonville’s Big Read came to an end with an Old Fashioned Fun Day in the Park at Germania Springs Park. The event featured games from Mark

“The Big Read has been well received by our community,” said JPL Librarian. Barbara Rowell. “We’ve had book discussions, several performances of a Tom Sawyer play by local home schoolers and a visit from Mark Twain himself.”