By Susan Fisher, MPL PR Supervisor and Dottie Kreps, MPL Community Engagement Specialist—
MUNCIE, IN — Muncie Public Library invites the community to celebrate a year of reading, creativity, culture, and connection during the NEA Big Read Wrap-Up Celebration, taking place during the upcoming First Thursday in partnership with MadJax Maker Force.
The free community event will be held on Thursday, June 4, from 5–8 p.m., in the first-floor Public Hall at MadJax and marks the culmination of Muncie Public Library’s 2025–2026 NEA Big Read themed year, Food, Family, and Tradition.
Made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MPL Big Read program brought together community members of all ages through free programs centered on reading, storytelling, food, culture, and shared experiences. Muncie Public Library was honored to be selected as one of only 65 organizations nationwide to receive this prestigious grant.
The celebration will feature exhibits, discussions, hands-on activities, and community partnerships that reflect the year’s themes of food, family, memory, and tradition.
MPL staff (L-R) Laura Geesy, Susan Fisher, and Donna Catron at the Big Read party in 2025. Photo by Dottie Kreps.
Celebration Highlights Include:
- Big Read Photo Contest Awards Ceremony at 5:30 p.m., featuring winning submissions and a digital display of community entries.
- Live Canning Demonstration presented by Purdue Extension.
- Interactive Food History Exhibit exploring 250 years of American food traditions, complete with food samples, opportunities to vote for favorite American foods, and a chance to contribute a treasured family recipe to the upcoming MPL Community Cookbook.
- Makers Vendor Area featuring MadJax makers, artists, and creative small businesses.
- MPL Community Partners will be set up with information tables and activities.
- Muncie Public Library will share information about the Summer Reading Program (SRP) and library resources, distribute free books, and provide a family crafts area. The MPL SRP dinosaur mascots will be on hand to meet and greet visitors.
- Big Read Community Panel Discussion: “How Food Shapes Your Identity” at 6 p.m. This will take place across the street in the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. This special discussion will explore how food is more than sustenance, it helps shape our identities, cultural traditions, family connections, and even the environments in which we live. Community panelists will share perspectives from their experiences across the globe.
“The Big Read Celebration is designed to bring people together through stories, creativity, food, and shared experiences,” said Dottie Kreps, MPL Community Engagement Specialist. “We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate a remarkable year of community engagement and look ahead to future opportunities to learn, connect, and read together.”
The event is free and open to the public. Families, readers, and community members of all ages are encouraged to attend.
MadJax Maker Force is located at 515 E. Main Street, Muncie. For more information about this program or other upcoming events, visit the library website at www.munpl.org
About the NEA Big Read
The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest that broadens understanding of our world, communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.
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