By Aaron Retherford
With Thunder Road’s 57th Season Opener right around the corner on Sunday, May 1, that means race fans will have the opportunity to check out the cars and drivers during the Downtown Barre Car Show and Open Practice a day earlier.
Adding to Saturday’s festivities will be Race to Read, an organization which has been encouraging kids to read through their love of racing since 2010.
From 9 a.m. to noon during the car show, Race to Read will have a tent downtown, so kids and their parents can learn about the program and sign up for some summer reading. Race to Read will also be partnering will local merchants and hosting a scavenger hunt, so children have the opportunity to win prizes.
During the car show, Race to Read will be accepting donations of new and used books for age groups K-6.
If that wasn’t enough to pique one’s interest in the reading program, join Race to Read at Turn 3 of the Thunder Road SpeedBowl when the cars head up to the track after the car show. Five hundred McKenzie Country Classics hot dogs were donated for Race to Read’s Hot Dog Cookout.
Attendees of the hot dog cookout can watch an open practice, but they will also see what Race to Read is offering for the first time this year – its very own library at Thunder Road.
In a 12×10-foot shed, located where the upper concession was, a large collection of books will be housed that children will be able to check out of just like at any other library.
Choose Your Own Adventure out of Waitsfield has already donated 100 books to the new library. Aldrich Public Library in Barre and Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield also provided books.
During the cookout, children will be able to check out books, sign up for the program, and learn about all the incentives for completing 15 books this summer.
Race to Read’s Executive Director, Hillarie Scott, hopes the new improvements to the program will ignite a new passion in non-readers.
“I was never a child who liked to read. I’m now getting into it and trying to use my passion for it to help other kids,” Scott said.
