Governor expected at reading day in Havre

The executive director of United Way of Hill County said a special guest may appear at a children's reading day in Havre Saturday.

Director Lorraine Verploegen told the Havre Daily News that Gov. Brian Schweitzer is expected to come to the city of his birth and participate in the "Plant a Seed…Read! " literacy event at the Holiday Village Mall.

"Governor Schweitzer heard about our event and will be in Havre on Saturday, so he will be reading to the students at 1 p. m. in the mall, " she said in an email, adding that both Schweitzer and guest author Sneed Collard of Missoula will be signing books.

"This has been a nice surprise for us, " Verploegen said.

Several of Sneed's books, including "The Governor's Dog is Missing" — a fictional story unrelated to Schweitzer's famous border collie, Jag — and "Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog, " will be available for purchase.

Several activities are scheduled Saturday in addition to the reading.

Literacy activities are set for children from preschool through first-grade

More than 10 agencies and community groups will provide parent information from pet care to fun healthy snacks for families.

A book swap also will be held to allow children to trade books.

Local FBI personnel are assisting United Way with the Child ID Kit for families by fingerprinting grade school children.

Entries in the Student Art Contest by Havre Middle School students will be on display, with sixth-grade students designing posters for the 2011 Kick-Off Hoedown and seventh- and eighth-grade studnets participating in United Way's 2012 "You're an Essential Piece" theme.

Sneed, who writes children's books, will present "Writing at the Bottom of the Sea" and "The Reality of Writing Children's Books" to students in grades two through eight at the mall's Community Center.