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Actress Mary Badham (at left) shared memories from the set of "To Kill a Mockingbird" with close to 150 fans of the book and film who attended the Big Read kickoff Saturday afternoon at the Blue Ridge Regional Library. The event launched a month of local activities centered around the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee. Attendees also received free copies of the book, saw a dance performance by Minds In Motion Team XXL and sampled a Big Read cake in honor of the month’s events. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray) |
Sunday, March 1, 2009
By KIM BARTO - Bulletin Staff Writer
Organizers of the Big Read kickoff on Saturday afternoon said they were “overwhelmed” by the response, with about 150 people gathering at Blue Ridge Regional Library for a celebration of the classic book and film “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Saturday launched a month of events focusing on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Harper Lee. Kickoff festivities included free copies of the novel, a book-shaped cake and a question-and-answer session with former child actor Mary Badham.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” tells the story of Atticus Finch, a small-town lawyer in 1930s Alabama who defends a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. The events unfold through the eyes of Finch’s 6-year-old daughter, Scout, who has a number of adventures with her older brother, Jem, and their friend Dill.
Badham was 10 years old and had no acting experience when she landed the part of Scout in the book’s 1962 film adaptation. Though she played the book’s narrator, Badham said she didn’t actually read “To Kill a Mockingbird” until many years later.
“When I read the book, here were all these characters I knew nothing about,” she said. “It really gave me a much fuller look at the whole thing.”
Now, Badham has traveled all over the world talking about the story and the importance of reading.
“Read to your children, read to your grandchildren,” she told the crowd Saturday. “If you can learn to love to read, you’ll never be bored, you’ll never be lonely and you’ll always expand your mind.”
The Big Read is meant to restore reading to the heart of American culture. About a year ago, Piedmont Arts Association applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to bring the program to Martinsville and Henry County.
“We are thrilled” to be one of 208 groups to receive the grant, PAA Director of Programs Barbara Parker told the audience Saturday.
The Big Read is important because statistics show less than half the adult population reads literature, Parker said.
“Literary reading is declining across the board in all age groups, especially young people,” she said.
Parker quoted author Ray Bradbury: “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
In the audience were Bassett’s own real-life versions of Scout and Jem: 9-year-old twins Scout and Jem Wiles. The twins posed with Badham while their father, Mark Wiles of Thomasville, N.C., snapped a photo.
Wiles said the children were so named because the book is a favorite of his. He has read parts of “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the twins, and they have both seen the movie.
“It’s such a strong, yet simple book. It has a very strong message,” Wiles said.
Scout said her favorite part of the movie is “when Atticus had to get the gun and shoot the crazy dog.”
“I like when Scout rides in the tire. I really wanted to do that,” Jem said, referring to the scene where his fictional counterpart puts his sister in a tire and sends her rolling with a big shove.
Neighbors Cassandra Whittredge and Inez Riddle said they came to the kickoff because they love the book and movie.
“It’s about justice for the people who deserve it,” Whittredge said. “It’s an absolutely beautiful movie. I rent it from this library a lot.”
Riddle, who also brought her niece, fourth-grader Heather Hunt, said, “I like the kids (Jem and Scout) — that they weren’t afraid of Boo, and they didn’t treat him as different.”
Monica Mitchell, a fifth-grade teacher at Albert Harris Elementary School, carried a new copy of the book as she and her husband, Bill, stood in line to talk to Badham.
“It’s memorable,” Monica Mitchell said of the story. “It’s a good story for anyone at any age to learn a lesson. It’s truly a classic.”
She added she thought Parker’s comments about the decline of reading were interesting. As a teacher, Mitchell said she is constantly having her students read because “it’s so important.”
“After this, we’ll probably go rent the movie again,” Bill Mitchell said.
Before Badham spoke, students from the Minds In Motion Team XXL gave a dance performance in honor of the event. Altrusa International Inc. of Martinsville-Henry County sponsored drawings for gift baskets related to the film and book and also served a Big Read cake and other refreshments.
Free copies of the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” were provided by a grant from the Martinsville Area Community Foundation, along with audio copies that were distributed to area nursing homes.
The Harvest Foundation also gave a grant, and other contributors include Friends of the Blue Ridge Library, the Piedmont Writers Group, the Piedmont Arts Guild and members of Piedmont Arts. The Henry County Board of Supervisors and Martinsville City Council also issued proclamations in honor of the month.
For more information about The Big Read events, visit www.piedmontarts.org, or contact Parker at 632-3221 or bparker@piedmontarts.org. |
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