Ohio Couple Unwittingly Joins Fairfield, CT Reading Challenge

Fairfield, CT – When Ohio couple Andrew and Annie Meador joined Fairfield Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, they thought they were branching out from their local library’s usual summer program. They had no idea just how far their participation would take them.

When a Google search of Fairfield County Library summer programs brought up the theme “What Does the Fox Read?", Andrew was all in. He had an affinity for foxes and had attended a recent Fox concert in Norway, so he and wife Annie proceeded to sign up and began to log their reading minutes. It wasn’t long before they realized that instead of entering a program in Fairfield, Ohio—just an hour away from their home in Powell--they had entered one 600 miles away in Connecticut!

Andrew contacted the Connecticut library to ask if they were still eligible for Challenge prizes although they were not Connecticut residents, and FPL staff gave them the green light to proceed. Having completed the Reading Challenge this month, the couple embarked on a nine-hour road trip to collect their prizes and on August 9th, visited both branches of the (East Coast) Fairfield Public Library as well as some other sites in Fairfield. Once back in Ohio, Andrew left FPL a glowing Google review, calling both the town and the Library “amazing” and thanking staff for the “warm welcome” and “a fun adventure.”  

“This was a first for us here at FPL,” said FPL Branch Manager Nancy Sweeney. “We welcome the participation of such dedicated readers, and appreciate that Andrew and Annie were willing to ‘go the distance’—literally—to complete the program and visit our fantastic libraries in person. It was a great way to cap off yet another successful Summer Reading Challenge here in Fairfield!”

All programs at the Fairfield Public Library are free. To register, or for more information, visit us online at: fairfieldpubliclibrary.org or call 203-256-3160. Follow the Fairfield Public Library on X (formerly Twitter) @fairfieldpublib and Facebook @fairfieldpubliclibrary.