On January 31st, libraries around Johnston County held Kickoff Events to celebrate the beginning of The Big Read.  Check out the video of the Smithfield Kick Off!

The Johnston County Arts Council will highlight its Big Read program in celebration of “To Kill A Mockingbird” with a FREE film screening on Thursday, February 26th at 7pm. The 1962 classic film version featuring Gregory Peck will be shown at The Clayton Center. The Big Read in Johnston County is presented in partnership by The Johnston County Arts Council and The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield. The community is encouraged to attend this free event, as the attendees will be given a free copy of the book (Spanish versions will be available as well). Additional supplemental materials on “To Kill A Mockingbird” will also be available. Johnston County is one of 208 communities nationwide participating in The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. To date, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 500 Big Read programs in t! he nation’s towns and cities. From January 31st to February 28, 2009 our community will celebrate “To Kill A Mockingbird” with a full calendar of events including book discussions, film screenings and keynote speakers. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Transportation for The Big Read is provided by Ford. For more information on this event, please contact Zilphia Adcock with the Johnston County Arts Council at 919-553-1930 or info@johnstoncountyarts.org. You also can view a full calendar of events for The Big Read in Johnston County at www.jocobigread.org.

The Johnston County Arts Council will highlight its Big Read program in celebration of “To Kill A Mockingbird” with a FREE lecture on Monday, February 23rd at 7pm at The Clayton Center. Dr. Karl Campbell, Associate Professor of History at Appalachian State University, will provide an overview of Tar Heel race relations from the Wilmington Race Riot of 1898 to the 2001 court ruling ending busing in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Audience questions and comments will be taken at the end of the program. The Big Read in Johnston County is presented in partnership by The Johnston County Arts Council and The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield.

The community is encouraged to attend this free event, as the attendees will be given a free copy of the book (Spanish versions will be available as well). Additional supplemental materials on “To Kill A Mockingbird” will also be available.

The community is encouraged to attend this free event, as the attendees will be given a free copy of the book (Spanish versions will be available as well). Additional supplemental materials on “To Kill A Mockingbird” will also be available.

“The things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.” — Abraham Lincoln

Clayton officer, JM Brady enjoys a few pages of To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Officer Brady is one of thousands throughout Johnston County participating in The Big Read during February. All Johnston County citizens are encouraged to read To Kill A Mockingbird and take part in free activities throughout the month. A complete list of activities is located at www.jocobigread.org.

Free supplemental materials, including complimentary copies of the novel are available and can be obtained by calling the Johnston County Arts Council at 919-553-1930 or emailing to info@johnstoncountyarts.org.

Remember to submit your “Look Who Got Caught Reading” photos to the Johnston County Arts Council and look for your photo in local papers and mync.com!!

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Johnston County is one of 208 communiti! es nationwide to receive a grant to host The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. For more information on The Big Read-Johnston County, please visit www.jocobigread.org or contact the Johnston County Arts Council office.

To highlight the classic American novel, The Johnston County Arts Council has requested several Johnston County residents to tell why they are reading “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

William W. Massengill, Jr., Mayor of Benson had this to say about The Big Read-Johnston County:

I am reading “To Kill A Mockingbird” for two reasons. The first is that as a Father, I have always encouraged my children to read. The ability to read critically is crucial to our ability to function and thrive in a complex society. And as the Mayor, I want to not only encourage my children, but every child in Benson to be a “reader”.

The second reason I am reading this novel, is because it is a timely story about tolerance and justice. When Harper Lee wrote this book, it was during the civil rights era of the 1960s. And although there have been great improvements in civil rights, we still find that our own prejudices have great sway over us and that justice is never something that can be taken for granted. I hope that the discussions around this book help us as a community to better understand each other. Atticus Finch says: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” I hope that the Big Read helps us to better see each other’s points of view.

The Johnston County Arts Council wants to know why YOU are reading “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Please submit your photos and/or stories to info@johnstoncountyarts.org. Watch for your article and photo on www.jocobigread.org and www.mync.com.

The Johnston County Arts Council, in partnership with the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield are excited to host The Big Read-Johnston County throughout the Month of February. Throughout February, all citizens of Johnston County are encouraged to read To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and participate in free lectures, film screenings and book discussions to highlight the novel. The purpose of The Big Read-Johnston County is to reach all citizens of Johnston County and provide the tools and resources necessary to become involved in this countywide event and encourage literary reading.

To highlight the classic American novel, The Johnston County Arts Council has requested several Johnston County residents to tell why they are reading “To Kill A Mockingbird”.

Cleveland area native and local attorney Don Wells of Mast, Schulz, Mast, Johnson & Wells, PA had this to offer:

It seems that many people now look upon attorneys with disgust. To some extent, we attorneys bring this scorn upon ourselves with cheesy TV ads (“Have you been injured?”), and direct mail solicitation, among other factors.

But the practice of law is a noble profession. The vast majority of attorneys recognize this and they act accordingly. The best literary example of such an attorney, and the reason I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee again, is Atticus Finch.

Atticus is the father of the narrator (Scout) of the book. He is a small-town lawyer practicing in Alabama during the Great Depression. In the course of his practice, he is appointed by the Court to represent Tom Robinson, a black man wrongfully accused of raping a white woman.

Atticus has many exemplary character traits: he is always civil, humble, dedicated, honest, and considerate of others, to name just a few. Perhaps his most admirable trait, however, is his courage.

Needless to say, representing a black man accused of raping (then, a capital offense) a white woman in 1930s Alabama would not endear a person to the populace. Atticus and his children endure plenty of sneers, jeers and other forms of ridicule. And given that the law in Alabama at that time allowed only white men to serve on juries, he knew going in that winning the case would be about as easy as winning a fist-fight with a grizzly bear.

Atticus was not deterred by the odds. As he explained to his son Jem when talking about a recently deceased neighbor, “…real courage is…when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”

Atticus began the trial and saw it through. His cross examinations of Bob and Mayella Ewell were flawless. His closing argument causes chills. After deliberation, the jury…. Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out.

The Johnston County Arts Council wants to know why YOU are reading “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Please submit your photos and/or stories to info@johnstoncountyarts.org. Watch for your article and photo on www.jocobigread.org and www.mync.com.

The Johnston County Arts Council will highlight its Big Read program in celebration of “To Kill A Mockingbird” with the children’s story, “The Other Side” by Jacqueline Woodson. The Big Read in Johnston County is presented in partnership by The Johnston County Arts Council and The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield.

“The Other Side” will be presented on Wednesday, February 11th as follows:

9:30 am Location: Selma Public Library 301 N. Pollock St.

10:00 am Location: Public Library of Johnston County/Smithfield

10:30 am Location: Kenly Public Library

“The Other Side” is an appropriate story to read to young children based on the themes in “To Kill a Mockingbird”. It is the story of a friendship between two children, one black and one white. There is a fence that racially divides the town. The two girls become friends as they sit on the fence. They both feel that one day someone will come and knock the fence down. There are beautiful illustrations to enhance the story.