Article by Gerry Giuliano
August 15, 2022
I’ll make you a deal; fill up my gas tank, and I’ll let you paint my neighbor’s fence. Painting is so much fun!
Marbles don’t’ quite cut it for me anymore but the magic of adolescent mischief still lingers as I imagine building a raft alongside Huck Fin, to sail far from my responsibilities. While I’m blueprinting my raft, the opportunity to physically experience reveries like mine are coming to Old Town, San Diego with the 13th production of Twain Fest. Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Write Out Loud, Veronica Murphy notes Twain Fest as “a day for all ages to come out and experience literature-based fun without their devices.” And have faith in my raft floating aspirations, Twain would, as he’s stated without an ounce of sarcasm, “all you need is ignorance and confidence, and the success is sure.”
Live the same daydream as your children by experiencing Mark Twain’s wise and satirical fantasies. Attend Mad Hatter’s tea party, paint a fence with Tom Sawyer or play croquet with the Red Queen. Mark Twain warns that “the lack of money is the root of all evil” but need not to worry because everything at Twain Fest is free! Even a free book emporium, where tickets earned in the activities can be used to buy books. Twain questioned “if books are not good company, where will I find it?” Friends and family can be difficult so maybe there’s the opportunity to leave with better company than you came with.
This event is much more than an escape, it’s a day that will stimulate and enhance everyone’s creativity and understanding of literature. Write Out Loud’s mission is to “inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud for people of all ages.” Get your family’s creative juices flowing by contributing to a never-ending story or sharpen your family’s historical awareness by voting in the election of 1872, between Horace Greeley and Ulysses S. Grant- but only after passing a literacy test.
Twain Fest takes place on August 20th at San Diego County Heritage Park in Old Town. The event runs from 11am- 6pm. All activities are free but please register ahead of time with the following link. https://writeoutloud.ticketspice.com/twainfest-2022
