DEAR COMMUNITY MEMBERS:

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the presenting organizations and the many hard working volunteers who have come together to bring such a great event to our community.

Whether you can provide sponsorship dollars, volunteer your time, or just come out and enjoy the authors, storytellers, illustrators and presenters, you are sure to be delighted you participated in this wonderful event that promotes and supports literacy in our community. Readers of all ages will find something of interest at the festival.

I look forward to seeing you at Shamrock Park!

Warmest Regards,

Melinda Lee Craig
First Lady of Harford County
Honorary Chair, Bel Air Book Festival

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Shamrock Park, Bel Air, Maryland

11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

443-512-8200
belairbookfestival@yahoo.com

The BABF celebrates the written word, celebrates the exploration of many different genres, and celebrates neighbors meeting new neighbors hoping to add richness and a renewed strengthening of community. The BABF is open to all, free of charge, with planning, outreach and marketing to reach a broad and diverse audience throughout Harford County and the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. Authors, Storytellers, Illustrators, Speakers/Panel Discussions, Non-profit groups dealing with literacy issues, Book Appraisals, Book Sales, performances and other literary related activities are all part of the event.

The Bel Air Book Festival celebrates reading by bringing together those resources that promote and support literacy in the community.

• To bring together authors, illustrators, scholars, storytellers, speakers, interactive events, community literacy groups and a public audience in a one-day, open air event that honors Harford County and Maryland's literary heritage. This event is free to the public and is operated with full handicapped accessibility.
• To appeal to the literary interests of all ages and to those who have yet to discover the thrill and understanding that reading brings.
• To acknowledge that reading unleashes minds, helping us to understand where civilization has been, to see where it is now, and to imagine where it will be going.
• To recognize that literacy aids in the building of an informed citizenry, thereby contributing to a higher level of our functioning democracy.

In the spring of 2003, The Highlands School Foundation approached the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission to support a new event to promote and support literacy in our community. Having an interest in advancing the literary arts, the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission wholeheartedly endorsed the project. Thus, the Bel Air Book Festival was created. These two founding organizations worked to gather a group of dedicated volunteers from both business and education to organize the first Bel Air Book Festival. Mrs. Debbie Harkins, First Lady of Harford County served as Honorary Chair. The event, held on Saturday, May 22, 2004 was attended by 3500 adults and children and was regarded by the community to be a successful, first event that met its intended objectives while succeeding in meeting all of its financial obligations.



See Photos from last year's Bel Air Book Festival >>

The Bel Air Book Festival was established in 2004 as a stand-alone event co-hosted by the Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission and The Highlands School. These founding organizations enthusiastically welcome The Harford County Public Library as a presenting organization for the 2006 Festival.

The Highlands School is an independent, non-profit school that serves children grades 2-8 with language processing deficits, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other learning differences. It is the only school of its kind in Harford County and the only school in the Baltimore region with a stated mission of student remediation with the ultimate goal of a timely return to a traditional school.

The Bel Air Cultural Arts Commission participates in the coordination of cultural arts programs and events within the town and works in support of the development of a town facility for cultural arts.

Harford County Public Library (HCPL) operates eleven branches throughout Harford County, Maryland. The library serves over 200,000 registered borrowers of all ages and has an annual circulation of over 3,000,000.  The mission of HCPL is to provide access, service, and information to the residents of Harford County anytime, anywhere, and to create an environment that encourages the acquisition of knowledge and the love of reading.

Download "About The Book Festival" Information