Knoxville's families are revving up for an epic bash at the World's Fair Park as the Knox County Public Library gears up to throw its annual Children's Festival of Reading on May 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This kid-centric event brings a day packed with world-class authors, illustrators, and musicians, all rallying under the flag of literacy and love for books, according to an announcement from the city.
This year, the festival is putting a spotlight on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Knox County, celebrating its contribution to nurturing young readers. The festival will also mark a milestone with three-year-old Patience Collins proudly taking the reins as the Grand Marshall in the Parade of Books. As the honored recipient of the 4 millionth book distributed by the program, Collins will be leading a procession at noon, as per the City of Knoxville.
Since its inception in January 2005, Dolly Parton's initiative has been busy mailing out books free of charge to just about 19,000 children in Knox County each month. It's a heroic effort to seed the love for reading in hearts that are as yet unhardened to the rigors and distractions of this modern world. Nearly 20 years in the running, the festival not only kicks off the summer reading program but also gathers the community to pay homage to the written word.
Bookworms young and old can look forward to rubbing elbows with beloved characters like the wild rumpus-starters from "Where the Wild Things Are", Paddington Bear in his iconic blue coat, and the feisty pigeon who dreams of driving a bus. Daniel Tiger from the neighborhood will be there, too, hanging out at the East Tennessee PBS’s tent. For one Saturday, the World's Fair Park is set to transform into a literary wonderland, echoing with the laughter of children and the turning pages of countless stories.
