Several authors and illustrators of beloved children’s and youth books attended the Book Bash on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13. The event was held as part of the Drumheller Public Library’s centennial celebrations, in partnership with the Muller Scholastic Endowment Fund for Canadian Children’s Literature, Toronto Public Library Foundation, and Toronto Public Library. A group of 20 students at Greentree School were invited to have lunch with guest authors Rachel Poliquin and Leslie Gentile, as well as guest illustrator Mike Boldt on Friday, and had the opportunity to speak with the authors about their books and get to know them a little more. Students were encouraged to nominate or enter their own names into a draw, and winners were chosen at random from various grades and classes. This was just one of multiple events held during Book Bash. On Friday morning, Book Bash kicked off with some 800 students at the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) for author presentations, Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) also hosted a luncheon with authors Natasha Deen, Anna Priemaza, and Lorna Schultz Nicholson, and Friday afternoon, connectFirst Credit Union invited children to enjoy storytime with some titles from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, which connectFirst helped to fund for the local chapter. Guest authors made appearances at various local spots, and the Napier Theatre played Anne of Green Gables on the big screen with caramel apple popcorn specially created for the showing.
