CONCORD ó Mid-September holds lots of excitement for the Cabarrus County Public Libraryís first community read event called One Book One Community ó Cabarrus Reads.
Beginning on Monday, Sept. 15, reservations will be accepted for three different programs that require reservations or a registration due to space limitations.
The first is iFrom Journal to Novel: Making Fiction from Real Life,î a creative writing workshop presented by Clyde Edgerton. This workshop will be on Friday, Oct. 3, 3-4:30 p.m. at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College/South Campus. Contact Amelia Likin at 704-216-3548 or send an e-mail to obocworkshop@rowancabarrus.edu beginning Monday, Sept. 15.
Reservations will also be accepted beginning Sept. 15, for a social reception with Edgerton that will be held at Old Courthouse Theatre in Concord on Friday, Oct. 3, from 7 to 8 p.m. Contact Anne Wilson at 704-788-2405.
Reservations can be made beginning Monday, Sept. 15, for tickets to iSongs and Stories from Clyde Edgerton and The Rank Strangers Band,î Edgertonís own musical group. The performance by The Rank Strangers Band will be Saturday, Oct. 4, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Davis Theatre at the Cabarrus Arts Council. Contact Kris Benshoff at 704-920-2050 for tickets.
Each of these events is provided without charge to the public.
Unique to the event is a pound cake bake-off sponsored by Friends of the Mt. Pleasant Library.
Pound cakes will be judged in three categories: classic pound cake, iced pound cake, and novelty pound cake. A $100 prize will go to the winner in each category.
Entry forms for the pound cake bake-off must be submitted to the Mt. Pleasant Branch Library by Wednesday, Sept. 10. Judging will be Saturday, Sept. 20, at 1 p.m. at the Mt. Pleasant Branch Library Meeting Room.
For more information about the pound cake bake-off, contact Kate Moore, branch manager, at 704-436-2202.
Storyteller Ron Jones will do a one-hour program at Mt. Pleasant Branch Library on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m. Jones will be at the Concord Branch Library Tuesday evening, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. Harrisburg Branch Library will host Jones on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 4 p.m. The final storyteller program with Jones will be at the Kannapolis Branch Library on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.
Jones has been sharing stories and songs with audiences of all ages for more than 30 years. He is a writer and founding member and past president of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild.
Jones founded and coordinated one of the longest running storytelling festivals in North Carolina. He earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the NC Public Library Directorís Association, and received the 2000 Emerging Artist Award from the Durham Arts Council. He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Gov. James B. Hunt III.
Storytelling is presented free to the public.
The reading event is sponsored by Cabarrus County Public Library and focuses on the book, iWalking Across Egypt,î by Edgerton. In the novel, 78-year old Mattie Rigsbee, helps teenage delinquent Wesley Benfield understand life.
Cabarrus County Public Library will hold a drawing for five antique rocking chairs donated by Clineís Antiques. The rocking chair is a significant prop in the iWalking Across Egyptî story. The rocking chairs can be seen at each library branch and at the Old Courthouse Theatre.
For a full listing of events, go to any branch of the Cabarrus County Public Library, or see the Web site at: www.cabarruscounty.us/library.
Schedule of events
iWalking Across Egypt ó The Movieî was released in 1999 and stars Ellen Burstyn as Mattie Rigsbee and Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Wesley Benfield. Rated PG-13, approximately 100 minutes long.
The screenings are free and open to the public. Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m., Harrisburg Branch Library; Thursday, Sept. 18, 6:30 p.m., Mt. Pleasant Branch Library; Monday Sept. 22, 6:30 p.m., Concord Branch Library; Special Screening, Monday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m., Gem Theatre, Kannapolis.
iWhat the community can learn from reading ëWalking Across Egyptí together,î University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor Dr. David Carr. Seating is limited to 170. Thursday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m., Kannapolis Train Station
iWalking Across Egyptî the play, Old Courthouse Theatre presents the Reid Leonard stage adaptation. Tickets for the play are required, and may be purchased by contacting Anne Wilson at Old Courthouse Theatre, 704-788-2405. Sept. 25, 26, 27, 8 p.m.; Sept. 28, 2:30 p.m.; Oct. 2, 3, 4, 8 p.m.; Oct. 5, 2:30 p.m.
Meet the Author: A Visit with Clyde Edgerton. This relaxed event brings you up close and personal with Clyde Edgerton for small talk and fellowship. Bring your copy of iWalking Across Egyptî for Edgerton to sign. Books will be available for purchase. Oct. 4 1-3 p.m., Concord Branch Library Auditorium.