The Free Library's 2007 mystery-themed Summer Reading season--Get a Clue @ Your Library--kicked off in Central's Main Lobby this morning. Students from Philadelphia's Bache-Martine and Waring Schools were treated to a performance by magician Ron Geoffries, as well as a dramatic reading by Kevin Dow of Maxwell's Magic Mix-Up. Dow, representing the Summer Reading Program's lead sponsor, Wachovia, also shared remarks about the importance of reading during the summer months, as did Radio One's E. Steven Collins and Free Library President and Director, Elliot Shelkrot. The event closed with an appearance by the Phillie Phanatic, who delighted the crowd with his usual green-furred high energy as well as a birthday cake in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Central Library.

While today's event symbolically kicked off the Summer Reading season, the Summer Reading Program officially begins this coming Monday, June 18, running all the way through August 10. And it's not just for younger readers anymore. This year's program will debut a new feature, Summer Reading for Adults, wherein adult readers are eligible to win prizes every time they read a book, listen to an audiobook, or read to a child. For more information on Summer Reading for Adults--including a complete listing of participating Library locations--visit the Summer Reading pages here . And stay tuned to these same pages for further information on Summer Reading Online, another program feature set to debut this year.