image courtesy H Dwight Beers

Thanks to a Pennsylvania Humanities Council grant, this year's Suquehanna County Reads one book/one county program was a huge success, with almost 400 registrants! Read more for details.

A crowd of 226 attended the Mock Trial in the historic Susquehanna County Courthouse courtroom on October 17th, filling the balcony for the first time in more than a decade. District Attorney Jason Legg (Atticus Finch), Mark Darmofal, Esq. (prosecutor Horace Gilmer), Patrick Daly, Esq. (Judge Taylor), William Strong (Sheriff Heck Tate), Andrew Vaccaro (Robert E. Lee Ewell), Margaret Vaccaro (Mayella Violet Ewell), Philip Crisp (Tom Robinson), and Rev. Canon Charles Cesaretti (Link Deas) re-enacted the courtroom scene from the novel. Mr. Legg and Mr. Darmofal then argued the appeal that would have taken place had Tom Robinson not died, and Hon. Thomas I. Vanaskie, the real-life United States District Judge of the Middle District of Pennsylvania, ruled on the case (favorably for Atticus). Finally, Rev. Cesaretti moderated a Q & A session which drew many interesting questions from the audience. The refreshments committee served Lane Cake in the hallway of the courthouse. The audience gave the performance a standing ovation and an outpouring of praise in the survey comments which will be passed along to the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, sponsor of Susquehanna County Reads.

The final event was a panel book discussion, held in the Parish Hall of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in New Milford, on October 23rd. Moderator Hilary Caws-Elwitt gave a brief biography of the author Harper Lee and introduced panelists Dr. David Elliott, Elizabeth Gordon, and Peter Quigg, who each spoke about aspects of the book and its themes. The audience then participated in a lively discussion, ranging from humorous touches in the narrative to serious issues of racism and class distinctions.

Our kick-off was a Family Fun Day: 10am-2pm on Saturday, September 13th, during the Apple Festival on the Green in Montrose. The screening of the 1962 movie starring Gregory Peck, on the big screen at the Montrose Theater, was also very successful. The two shows (on 9/17) drew over 120 attendees.

Other events included a book discussion in Forest City, led by Esther Semken; screenings of the movie in Forest City and Hallstead-Great Bend; and a screening of the documentary Fearful Symmetry.

Susquehanna County Reads To Kill a Mockingbird was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State Partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Plans are already in progress for the 2009 program. The easiest way to stay informed is to join our email list; if you are not already receiving Susquehanna County Reads email, simply send us an email requesting to be added (address at the bottom of every page).