30,000 kids will get free tickets

As school begins this year, some 30,000 school children from throughout Kern County are expected to participate in a special reading program to earn free tickets to the upcoming Kern County Fair.

Through KC’s Reading Round-Up, students will receive a free ticket to the Kern County Fair upon completion of 300 minutes of reading for pleasure. To quality, students must participate through their classrooms. It is not available to individuals.

The program, sponsored by Bright House, is now in its 12th year and has been met with overwhelming enthusiasm.

“We have had such an incredible response for the program,” said Bill Blair, chief executive officer of the Kern County Fair. “This type of program is really a collaborative effort with the teachers.  Each year, they encourage their students to participate and it’s become a tradition in the classroom every September.”

Coordinator Lorrie Roberts developed the program for the Kern County Fair in 1997 and continues to organize the county-wide effort. An elementary school teacher, Roberts knows first-hand the value of special incentives to encourage children to read.