Breckenridge Texan

Breckenridge residents will have a chance to share their love of reading with fellow community members at the second annual Buckaroo Book Night, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at Buckaroo Stadium.

Abby Moore, the South Elementary School librarian, first organized the event last year, and it was such a success that it is becoming an annual activity for Breckenridge. Buckaroo Book Night is open to the entire community, and readers of all ages are encouraged to attend, Moore said.

The overall premise of Book Night is the same as last year: Families can bring their books and blankets to Buckaroo Stadium and celebrate reading on the field. In addition to individual families reading together, there will be local “celebrities” reading to groups on the football field.

“We have more readers this year,” Moore said. “We plan to have two readers at a time every 15 minutes from 6:15 to 7:45.”

Additionally, high school students in the PALS classes will be volunteering with all the activities throughout the night.

A few changes were made this year to make it even more of a community-wide event, Moore said. There will be several new activities, including a bookmark decorating center with bookmarks donated by ABC Printing.

Food, face-painting and photos
This year, Moore had the help of the newly reorganized Breckenridge Elementary ONE PTO, which made some suggestions for adding a few more activities to Buckaroo Book Night. Each of the elementary schools will have a fundraising activity that they will be in charge of.

The South Elementary PTO group will operate the concession stand during Book Night. They will be offering a $5 Meal Deal, which will include two slices of pizza, a bottle of water and dessert, such as a cookie, brownie or Rice Krispies Treats.

North Elementary will have face painting, and East Elementary will set up a photo booth for “Book Selfies with Buckshot.”

“The PTO has really stepped up and taken off with it,” Moore said.

Book Swap
One of the changes this year is that there will be a book swap instead of a book sale. Moore said that last year’s book sale was just too much to handle during the event. So, instead, Breckenridge elementary students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade can bring their gently used books to trade for someone else’s used books.

To participate in the book swap, bring up to (but no more than) 10 books per child in your family to the book swap area of Book Night – in the endzone –  by 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The books need to be children’s books appropriate for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Moore asks that participants not bring adult books or board books and other books more suited to babies or toddlers.

For each book that a student brings, he or she will be given a ticket(s). Paperback books will be worth one ticket each, and hardback books will be worth two tickets. The tickets may then be used to “buy” books at that same rate.

After 6:30, the books will be loosely organized by age appropriateness, and then the swap will be open from 7 to 8 p.m. Moore said any leftover books will be donated to a book drive South Elementary has organized to help schools that were damaged by Hurricane Harvey replenish their libraries.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Another element of Buckaroo Book Night is the Book Character Pumpkin Decorating Contest. To enter, Breckenridge students in grades kindergarten through six, need to bring a pumpkin – or gourd – decorated like a book character to Book Night by 6:30 p.m.

The entry fee will be $5 each, and proceeds will benefit the fifth grade Science Camp trip. Prizes will be awarded to the winning designs. Contestants are encouraged to bring a copy of a printed image of the book that their character is from.

There are a few rules that need to be followed:

• Pumpkins must be primarily decorated by the students.
• Do not put your name on the pumpkin; you will fill out an identification slip when you enter.
• Pumpkins must be decorated – not carved.
• Each student is responsible for taking home their pumpkins Tuesday night.

Drop everything and read
Moore said that she hopes to have a “drop everything and read” time during the last 15 minutes of Buckaroo Book Night. That will be when everyone attending will be encouraged to stop what they’re doing and sit down and read a book for 15 minutes.

That’s what the night is all about, she said…reading.

Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Cutline, top photo: Breckenridge Independent School District Superintendent Tim Seymore reads to a group of kids during the 2016 Buckaroo Book Night. This year’s event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy of Tim Seymore)