The Big Read Archery Demonstration

MassMu Hosts The Big Read Archery Demonstration

The Massillon Museum, with the collaboration of the Massillon Public Library, will host an archery demonstration on the Museum lawn on Saturday, March 21, at 11:00 a.m. The event is one of two dozen that are scheduled as part of The Big Read to encourage people in the community to read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, the 2009 book selection. A women’s archery competition is part of the novel’s plot.

Dustin Bounce, an archery instructor who operates Hadley’s Sports Store in Akron—an establishment featuring archery equipment and supplies, will present the program. He has been shooting bow and arrow for more than two decades; he has been shooting professionally for eight years. Bounce has won both the indoor and outdoor championship for the state of Ohio and has competed nationally and internationally. The archery team he sponsors has also won Ohio championships.

The demonstration is free and open to the public with no reservations necessary. In case of inclement weather, the archery demonstration will be held at the Massillon Family YMCA (131 Tremont Avenue Southeast, Massillon).

When attending the demonstration, visitors may also see the Victorian displays relating to the book in the Museum’s lower level and second-floor permanent collection galleries. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

The Big Read is a month-long celebration of the classic work of fiction, The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton. The organizers selected the book because it depicts an era when Massillon’s industrialists and financiers reflected the social ways depicted in the novel. The Massillon Museum’s collections of furniture, clothing, art, china, and glassware represent their lifestyle.

Copies of The Age of Innocence may be checked out at the Massillon Public Library or purchased at the Massillon Museum, the Massillon Public Library, and The Village Bookshelf (746 Amherst Road Northeast in Massillon).

A complete schedule of events related to The Big Read is available at the Massillon Public Library, the Massillon Museum, or online at www.massillonmuseum.org.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents the Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The Big Read brings together partners across the country to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment.

Local organizations and individuals collaborating with the Massillon Museum include: the Massillon Public Library; the Lions Lincoln Theatre; Mayor Francis H. Cicchinelli; Dr. Leslie Heaphy, Dr. Robert Sturr, and Kent State University Stark Campus; Jason Norris; John Kiste and the Canton/Stark County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau; Rotary Club of Massillon; the Massillon Area Chamber of Commerce; The Independent; the Fairless, Jackson, Tuslaw, and Massillon school systems; State Representative Scott Oelslager; Massillon Cable TV; the Chit Chat Coffee Shop; George Nicholis; Camille Leslie; Brian Centrone; Eric Myers; Gretchen Schrantz; Five Oaks and Massillon Woman’s Club; Richard Gercken; The Canton Symphony Orchestra; The Amherst Rose and Parlour Gift Shoppe; Kozmo’s Grille; St. Timothy’s Church; Massillon Family YMCA; Hampton Inn Massillon; and many community volunteers.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. For more information about the book discussions or The Big Read, call 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org or www.NEABigRead.org.

Media Contacts:

Christine Shearer - Massillon Museum Executive Director - 330-833-4061

Camille Leslie - Massillon Public Library Director - 330-833-9831

Margy Vogt - Massillon Museum PR Coordinator - 330-832-8469 or 330-844-1525