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Community Corner

Celebrity Readers Take the Green by Storm

Branford Education Foundation's campaign for reading welcomes readers of all ages to the Green Wednesday night

It is almost that time of summer when the summer slag kicks in for summer reading assignments. Not this year! Branford Education Foundation is a local nonprofit with a mission of fostering excellence in public education by funding programs that enhance the capabilities of all of Branford’s Public School students.

At the beginning of the year, they organized the first ever at the , an event geared toward illuminating reading by bringing books to life. This summer, they launched a campaign to keep students reading all summer long.

They kicked off the campaign by having people pledge money to form a team to run the . The $2,500 they raised allowed them to purchase a summer reading book for every student in the Branford Public School system grades K-5. The effort was a collaboration between the Branford Education Foundation and the reading teachers so that every book was level-appropriate and tied into the curriculum of that specific child.

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Next up, they are checking in on everybody’s reading through a unique event dubbed “A Midsummer Night’s Read.” Hosted bys own Pete Lombard, the event will start at 6:00 tonight on the Branford Green with a puppet show on the stage.

Following the show, participants will find a breakout group to join and have a book read to them. Whether it’s First Selectman Unk DaRos reading Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel or a Branford Police Officer reading Officer Buckle and Gloria, a panel of community celebrity readers will have an array of books to present.

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The event will close with a group share where students can choose to get up and speak about what they have read this summer. Speaking in front of a group certainly isn’t easy, though, so Brian Anderson of has donated gift certificates for a free ice cream cone for everyone who shares about their reading experience over the summer.

The Branford Education Foundation will wrap their well-mapped out reading campaign in September with one last event for the summer before gearing up for more events throughout the upcoming school year. 

A Midsummer Night’s Read is ideal for students grades K-5 but teenagers and adults alike are welcome to come join on the Green and celebrate how great reading is.

The event will run from 6:00PM-8:00PM on the Branford Green and is free.

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