Volusia libraries celebrate baseball with ‘Shoeless Joe’

Posted On: February 15, 2022

The Volusia County Public Library is honoring America’s favorite pastime by planning nearly 200 programs that revolve around “Shoeless Joe,” the 1982 novel by W.P. Kinsella that inspired the film “Field of Dreams.”

The programs, which will run throughout March, are part of Volusia Reads Together, a community reading program dedicated to creating a shared conversation and providing a range of related events and activities for residents of all ages.

Other featured book selections are “The Way to Stay in Destiny” by Augusta Scattergood, “The Hero Two Doors Down” by Sharon Robinson, and “Casey at the Bat” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.

The library system’s 14 branches will host book discussions, informative presentations, movies, crafts and a homerun reading challenge based on “Shoeless Joe” and baseball in general. Additionally, the Little Theatre of New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange Regional Library will host performances of an original play, “Spring Training,” written by library employee Karen Poulsen.

FEATURE PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
 

Opening Day: 11 a.m. Saturday, March 5. Slide into the New Smyrna Beach Regional Library, 1001 S. Dixie Freeway, for games, activities, crafts and snacks. Take a green screen Hall of Fame photo with your favorite background.
 

Local Baseball History:10 a.m. Monday, March 7. Fran LeVeille, director of the Halifax Historical Museum, will look at historical highlights and the impact baseball has left on Volusia County.
 

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Jackie Robinson: 2 p.m. Friday, March 19. Bill Schumann, founder of the Jackie Robinson Statue Committee, will explain how Daytona Beach became the first city in the segregated South to accept integrated baseball. He will also share how Dr. Bethune was essential to paving the way for Jackie Robinson to be able to play in the state. This program will be held at the Port Orange Regional Library, 1005 City Center Circle. Registration is required; call 386-322-5152.
 

The History of Baseball in Daytona Beach: 5 p.m. Monday, March 21. Join librarian Chett Wood at the Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 Jackie Robinson Parkway. He will cover local history with a focus on baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
 

The Origins of Baseball: 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. Learn about baseball’s historical origins with Stetson University Professor Eric Kurlander at the DeLand Regional Library, 130 E. Howry Ave.
 

The Wakelin Collection:1 and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29. More than 180 books focusing on Negro League baseball’s greats are housed at Bethune-Cookman University. John Wakelin, the collector, and Brandon Nightingale, a university archivist, will share treasures from the collection during this presentation at the Ormond Beach Regional Library, 20 S. Beach St.
 

Final Field Day: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 2. The Daytona Beach Regional Library, 105 E. Jackie Robinson Parkway, will host the grand finale. Activities will include a 4-H petting zoo, baseball field games, pennant and button making, dream catcher craft, Wii games and scavenger hunt. Attendees can also watch “Field of Dreams”; meet a special guest from the Daytona Tortugas; and listen to the Rustic Wranglers, a cowboy trio that plays rock, country and fun tunes.

For a complete list of programs, visit www.volusialibrary.org. For more information, call the Volusia County Public Library at 386-248-1745.