From GATHERING VOLUMES BOOKSTORE
What is your wish for your community? In Katherine Applegate’s new book, “Wishtree,” no wish is too small as long as it comes from the heart. Ms. Applegate is the author of Newberry Medal winning “The One and Only Ivan” as well as “Crenshaw” which spent over twenty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. In preparation of the release of “Wishtree” Macmillan Publishing Group is partnering with independent bookstores around the country to host a Nationwide Wishing Day to engage communities and help others.
Gathering Volumes Bookstore in Perrysburg will be partnering with Macmillan and hosting a Nationwide Wishing Day event in Perrysburg in partnership with The Promise House Project. The Promise House Projects works to promote and advance the dignity and safety of all housing insecure and homeless youth through barrier free direct service, advocacy, service infrastructure, and housing support. Since 2014, they have led efforts to raise awareness about Youth Homelessness in Northwest Ohio. The event will be from 6 to 7 pm on Thursday, September 28 at Gathering Volumes in Perrysburg.
“Wishtree is about the power of wishes and hope to transform a community, and the importance of helping others,” says Denise Phillips, owner of Gathering Volumes. “The story revolves around and is told by an old oak tree that is in danger of being cut down after being in the community as a Wish Tree for over 200 years.” Many cultures have some sort of Wish Tree as part of their folklore. In the United Kingdom townspeople and tourists would drive coins into Wish Trees as far back as the eighteenth century, believing that they would be granted a wish or cured of an illness once the coin was through the bark. One of the most famous Wish Trees is in Lam Tsuen in Hong Kong, where people travel from all over the world during Chinese New Year to cover its branches in wishes written on paper. New Zealand has a famous Wish Tree in the Rotoma Hills near the Bay of Plenty. Per legend, a Maori princess hid with her baby in its hollow trunk to escape enemy warriors. When the baby grew up, he became head of one of the great Maori tribes. Today people place gifts and money in the tree’s hollow trunk and hope their wishes will be granted. There are many more examples throughout the world.
The Nationwide Wishing Day celebration will begin at 6 pm on September 28 and will include a competition among children and teens. Each competitor will submit an entry that they made into one of 4 categories: Beverages, Appetizers, Desserts, and Snacks. Similarly, members of the Glass City Brewers will be competing for best Home Brew. Guests will be able to pay $5 to taste and judge one category of their choosing or $15 to judge all four food categories. Proceeds from the event will be donated to The Promise House Project and each Category Winner will receive a gift certificate to Gathering Volumes and all participants will receive a Thank You package. Additional activities during the celebration will include creating a Wish Wall with participants’ wishes for the community, rock painting, and the creation of fortune tellers. The rocks painted at the celebration will be hidden within local Perrysburg businesses in October as part of another fun event.
The store that hosts the most creative event that involves their local community will have the donation to their local charity matched by MacMillan and wins a visit from Katherine Applegate in 2018!
If your child/teen would like to participate in the Wishing Day competition, please download and fill out the application by stopping by Gathering Volumes or downloading it from the website: https://www.gatheringvolumes.
