In a galaxy far, far away, a small crowd of people attended a Star Wars themed literacy event with Augusta University’s Harris Literacy Center, Rise Augusta and Lucy C. Laney’s Museum of Black History.
Except, the fun wasn’t so far, far away after all. May the Fourth Be With You is an annual event which was held at The Hub on 631 Chafee Ave. on May 1. May the Fourth Be With You is a reference to Star Wars Day, which falls each year on May 4.
Visitors had the chance to add a line of writing to a collaborative poem and participate in Star Wars trivia, all alongside a screening of “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.”
“Every year when we do this I’m just amazed at the level of knowledge about the Star Wars franchise when we hit trivia,” said Dr. Betsy VanDeusen, director of the Harris Literacy Center. “It’s part fun, part reading, part gathering here in the community and just having a good time together.”
VanDeusen said that Corey Rogers, the executive director of the Lucy C. Laney Black History Museum, came up with the idea for the themed event three years ago.
“Corey Rogers is an amazing Augusta citizen, and he loves history, he loves books and he loves Star Wars,” she said.
Most importantly, visitors were able to buy books – according to VanDeusen, the sole purpose of the event is to encourage youth literacy in an engaging way.
“We want kids to know that reading is fun,” she said.
