Whatcha doin’ tomorrow? It’s Drop Everything And Read day, and a few folks are rounding up a posse of people to head to Central Park in New York City to set aside at least 30 minutes to read. Sorry, drop everything and read. I am embarrassed to say I didn’t know this was a real program – I thought it was just part of the Ramona Quimby books, which I looooooved as a child.
Folks are going to be showing up at Central Park West between 86th and 90th street, from 8am to 6pm, and the goal is to get about 10-20,000 people to go outside and read.
Of course, there’s a 40% chance of thunderstorms on Saturday, but why let a little rain stop you? Rain is perfect weather for reading (of course, if you’re me, so is sunny, foggy, rainy, snowy, and any and all weather patterns). Bring a book and enjoy – and let me know if you see any famous New York residents out in the park reading.
Thanks for sharing this! I just passed it along to my son, who lives a couple blocks away from the site—and loves to read.
The funny part about this is that Saturday is pretty much the one day of the week on which I’m LEAST likely to read. That’s chore day, most weeks. Clearly I’ll have to slip in at least a few pages, just on principle.
Just yesterday I read the D.E.A.R chapter in Ramona Quimby, Age 8 to my 5yo. I never read these books as a kid myself, but how I am loving them now!
*sigh* If only my thesis weren’t due on the 14th—I would totally be there. I suppose I’ll just have to drop everything and read about architectural conservation…
…but maybe I can find time for a chapter or two of recreational reading without endangering my graduation. 🙂
What a wonderful idea. Wish I lived nearby so I could participate. But that’s okay. I’ll just grab a book and read from my home in Virginia.
And I’ll pass this along to all my friends too.
Awww, Ramona. We just produced those books at work and I reread them all. Fifteen years later and I still love them!
I can’t make it New York, but I will make a point of taking one item off my “to do” list and replacing it with an hour of reading for pleasure. Someone will probably have to twist my arm, but it’s for a good cause, right?
Wha? Sarah, you don’t remember the DEAR program? After you read so many books, you got a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.
Or was it if the Pirates got 3 homeruns in a game?
Baseball, reading, pizza…it all blends…
We had a program similar to that at my school, but it was called PARP (Parents As Reading Partners). I lived for it, mostly because I could get all the goodies – pizza coupons, free books, stuffed toys – without having to change anything. All I had to do was tell my mom how many books I’d read that week, have her sign the slip, and watch the freebies roll in.
I may not be in Central Park, but I will certainly be reading. Yay Ramona!