​#CedarburgReads. Do you?

Cedarburg Friends of the Library (CFoL), along with the Cedarburg Public Library (CPL), and Cedarburg Fire Department (CFD), have come together to launch the Cedarburg Reads 2017 community-wide reading-and-discussion program. DeWayna Cherrington, CFoL President; Robert Vasholtz, CFD Fire Chief; and Linda Prischalla, CPL Head Librarian, are inviting all citizens to participate in meeting your neighbor one conversation at a time by reading the same book: Population 485, by Wisconsin author Michael Perry.

“We considered many books for this year's Cedarburg Reads program,” says CFoL President DeWayna Cherrington, “but we couldn’t pass up on the charm, humor, and sense of place that we found in Population 485. We know that our neighbors will enjoy reading it just as much as we did, and will find much to talk about in its slices of small-
town life.”

In life, we can go for days at a time without connecting with others outside of our circle; by reading the same book, we hope to enrich everyone’s life. Local residents are invited to join Cedarburg Reads Population: 485, and attend group book discussions to “meet your neighbors one conversation at a time.”

Throughout the month of March, local businesses and organizations will host book discussions throughout the community that will be moderated by CFoL members and volunteers. Community members are invited to host their own private discussions and post pictures with the hashtag #CedarburgReads to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A calendar of discussions will be available at the CPL, CFoL page on the CPL website, and the CFoL Facebook page.

"There is something powerful in the shared experience of reading the same book,” says CPL Head Librarian Linda Prischalla.  “Discussions are an important — though often overlooked — part of reading. These community conversations create points of connection, which form the context for richer relationships and the ability to understand each other’s view points better.”

On Thursday, March 16, author Michael Perry will make a special appearance in Cedarburg for two special events. The first event will be a private meet-and-greet for members of the CFoL.   Shortly after, the author will appear at the Cedarburg Cultural Center to talk about the book and small-town life.

Of all his experiences, Perry says the single most meaningful thing he has ever done is serving 12 years beside his neighbors on the New Auburn Area Fire Department. CFD Fire Chief Vasholtz agrees with the author, saying, “We serve the community, but we are also made up of the community. Every volunteer in the CFD joins out of love and commitment for our friends, our neighbors, and our relatives. In turn, the fire department is a second family for many of us — a family of community.”

ABOUT THE BOOK
After a twelve-year absence, a real-life prodigal son returns to his hometown — New Auburn, Wisconsin, population: 485 — and joins the volunteer fire and rescue department. In this memoir, writer Michael Perry sets out “to meet my neighbors at the invitation of the fire siren.”  The emergencies are real, the settings are surreal, and with each foray into the boondocks, we piece together the history of a people and a place. By turns fiery and funny, violent and gentle, Population: 485 is the true account of a search for rootedness in a place from the past.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, and radio show host from New Auburn, Wisconsin. Perry's bestselling memoirs include Population 485, Truck: A Love Story, Coop, and Visiting Tom.  He lives with his wife and two daughters in rural Wisconsin, where he serves on the local volunteer fire and rescue service and is an intermittent pig farmer. Additional information about Michael Perry can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com.
.
ABOUT CEDARBURG READS
Cedarburg Reads is a community-wide program with the singular goal of helping Cedarburg residents in meeting your neighbors one conversation at a time.  Designed to bring people together through the reading and discussion of a common book, programs like this one have been implemented throughout the country to create a shared experience of civic unity through the reading of literature.

ABOUT CEDARBURG FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
The Cedarburg Reads program is sponsored by the Cedarburg Friends of the Library, a vibrant, active group of citizens who are dedicated to supporting the Cedarburg Public Library (CPL) through fundraising, volunteer support, and community events. The Friends organize several major book sales, including the library’s permanent Book Nook installation, southeastern Wisconsin’s largest used-book sale (the Summer Book Sale), and the Winter Fiction Sale.  These sales raise funds for enhancements and programs including the 3D printer, the CPL website, the children’s summer reading program, additional bestseller novels, genealogy materials, Great Decisions programs, and more. More information about the Friends can be found online at http://www.cedarburglibrary.org/connect/cedarburg-friends-of-the-library/ or 
http://bit.ly/CedarburgFoL
.