Stuff for the Teen Age

Yankee Stadium Celebration — End of Summer Reading

Yankees Honor Top Summer Readers of 2011
August 25, 2011

Viewing videos on NYPL.org requires Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher.

Get the Flash plugin from adobe.com

Embed

Copy the embed code below to add this video to your site, blog, or profile.

There were dark clouds over Yankee Stadium on August 25, 2011 and a steady downpour was soaking the field. Frankly, it seemed like an ideal day to stay inside and read a good book, not play baseball. But for those intrepid individuals who had logged the most library materials as participants in Summer Reading, it was not a day to be inside but a day to see themselves on the Jumbotron.

View of Yankee Stadium, New York, Digital ID 101054, New York Public LibrarySoon after the rain delay ended and the tarp was removed from the baseball diamond, The New York Public Library’s lion logo appeared on the massive stadium screen for all to see. As the image faded, it was replaced by the proud faces of this year's top Summer Reading participants. It was an all star reading team, featuring a stellar starting line-up of genuine sluggers with impressive numbers of Library Materials Batted In. From the Bronx: Michael with 262 library materials logged, and Khadija with a staggering 827 library materials logged. From Manhattan: Christian with 264 library materials logged, Susan with 348 library materials logged, and Devlynn with 154 library materials logged. From Staten Island: Grace with 73 library materials logged, and Jessica with 87 library materials logged.

These Summer Reading all stars were greeted on the field by Yankees’ centerfielder Curtis Granderson who signed baseballs, posed for photos, and discussed the importance of reading with these heavy hitters. It is undeniable that the participants in Summer Reading 2011 truly hit a home run, and perhaps it was their fantastic performance that inspired the Yankees to make history on August 25 by becoming the first team to hit three grand slams in a single game. Granderson was one of the players to hit a grand slam, and furthermore, he became the first player in baseball’s history to score three points from three grand slams in one game. Coincidence? Unlikely.

Though it was only the top readers who were able to take to the field on August 25, with them in spirit were the hundreds of thousands of individuals who helped make Summer Reading 2011 a rousing success! With summer at an end, it may seem premature to already be thinking of Summer Reading 2012, but who knows? Maybe next summer it will be you on the Jumbotron!