Ready Set Fun Bookfest
About
For more than 14 years Ready Set Fun! Bookfest has been the most successful and largest educational event in our area. WPBS-DT is proud to host this event, giving every child in attendance a free book and giving them exposure to over 20 vendors with literacy focused hands on activities including the Scholastic Book Fair! This event attracts over 1,000 kids every year and with admission only a canned good donation WPBS-DT helps to bring in on average 2,000 pounds of food for the local food pantry!
Booths and Activities
| Booth | Organization | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jefferson Dental Health, P.C. | Dental health activities |
| 2 | River Hospital | Healthcare activities |
| 3 & 4 | Irene Uttendorfsky | A local author who will bring and read her books. Also, activities related to her books |
| 5 | Sci-Tech Center | Science is Fun |
| 6 | Hope Marston | A local author who will bring her books and the animals who go with them with an emphasis on river otters |
| 7 & 8 | Scholastic 2 for 1 Book Sale | |
| 9 | CAPC Head Start | Decorate flowers or caterpillar bookmarks |
| 10 | Watertown Police Department | D.A.R.E. car and child safety |
| 11 | Jefferson Lewis Childcare Project | Eric Carle theme/making tissue paper pictures |
| 12, 13, 14 | WPBS | PBS Kids Activities |
| 15 | Adirondack Kids Press | Meet the local author of the Adirondack Kids books |
| 16 | North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council | Face painting |
| 17 | North Country Prenatal/Perinatal Council (in lobby) | Infant feeding and diapering |
| 18 & 19 | NNY Alpaca Assn. /Home Again Farms | 2 alpacas will be shown and help educate the children |
| 20 | Canned Good Donations | Support the CAPC Food Pantry |
| 21 | Free Book Station | Donated by WPBS-DT and our Sponsors |
| 22 | New Day Children’s Center | Playing with play dough and cookie cutters |
| 23 | DPAO | |
| 24 | North Country Children’s Clinic | Elmo visits the doctor’s office |
| 25 | Flower Memorial Library | One World, Many Stories (includes craft)/2011 Summer Reading Program |
| 26 | Assoc. for the Blind and Visually Impaired | Braille books and scanning common items with a talking scanner |
| 27 | Jefferson County Public Health | Free bike helmets, helmet fitting and bike safety |
| 28 & 29 | Educators of Tomorrow Club at JCC | Puppet making craft |
| 30 | JCC Continuing Education | JCC Kids Camps |
| 31 | Cornell Cooperative Extension | Mother’s Day activity |
| 32 | Watertown Daily Times | Exploring the mini pages of the newspaper and summer reading activities |
| 33 | Carthage Area Hospital | Food guide pyramid, fruit/vegetable focus with games |
| 34 | Literacy of NNY | Mother’s Day cards |
| 35 | Gently Used Book Swap | Trade your gently used book for another |
| 36 | Servpro of Jefferson County | Fire truck and fire safety |
Local Authors
This year WPBS is happy to have Hope Marston, Irene Uttendorfsky and Adirondack Kids Press as our local authors.
HOPE IRVIN MARSTON
Hope Irvin Marston is a native of Beech Creek, PA, the eighth child in a farm family of nine. She started school about the time World War II began. Since there were no children's books in their home, the monthly visit of the bookmobile to the little one-room schoolhouse on the corner of the farm was a wonderful event in her eyes.
Once she learned to read, Hope never grew tired of books. She decided at an early age, she would write a book some day. Thus far that dream has been fulfilled twenty-eight times.
Hope enjoys writing in several genres. Her current projects include two historical fiction books and another junior biography.
In 1990 she retired to devote her time to writing. When she isn't working at her computer, you will find her reading, making author appearances, doing research or attending workshops as a presenter or a learner.
She was the founder of the Black River Valley Writers Club and the founder and director of the North Country Children's Writers and Illustrators Workshop. She has taught creative writing workshops at Jefferson Community College and the Jefferson-Lewis Teacher Center for many years. She has also been on staff at Christian Writers Conferences at Hephzibah Heights (MA), Montrose Bible Conference (PA), and a St. Davids Christian Writers Conference at Beaver Falls, Pa. Hope is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a book reviewer for Church Libraries.
Irene Uttendorfsky
I have been writing for many years. My favorite genre is children’s historical fiction, but I also enjoy writing chapter books for younger children, especially my Adirondack Mouse series.When it comes to historical fiction, most of my books have been stories of the Civil War era, two are stories of the Black River and the Erie Canals, and one is a story of the Underground Railroad. I Will Stand With MY Father, my story about the Revolutionary War in the Mohawk Valley will be released soon by Spruce Gulch Press. I love to read and I love to write.
Adirondack Kids Press
Gary and Justin VanRiper are a father and son writing team residing in Camden, New York of the Tug Hill region along with cats, Socks and Dax. They spend many summer and autumn days at camp on Fourth Lake in the Central Adirondacks.
The Adirondack Kids® began as a short writing exercise when Justin was in third grade. Encouraged after a public reading of an early draft at a Parents As Reading Partners (PARP) program in the Camden Central School District, the project grew into a middle reader chapter book series. The Adirondack Kids® is their first book.
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