Michael Dinneen Photo.
With great fanfare and not a little bit of sweat equity, Read On the Fly officially became a project at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport yesterday. To all who contributed books, time, funds, or facilities, thank you. To those who want to help, read THIS.
I spent Wednesday afternoon at the airport, wheeling my Coleman wagon around the various concourses, stocking shelves. Below is a photo of what happened when I entered the Nursery space located near the entrance of ‘B’ concourse:
Happy travelers take a book for their flights around the world. Erin Kirkland/AKontheGO
Traveling through Anchorage soon? Here are the current Read On the Fly bookshelf locations:
Pre-Security:
- ‘A’ concourse near the Ravn Alaska ramp
- ‘A’ concourse near Baggage Claim/Grant Aviation
- ‘A’ concourse, ticketing, near Door A7
Post-Security:
- Nursery, ‘B’ concourse near entrance. Psst: This is also an excellent space to relax with kids of any age.
Two play structures are under construction that will incorporate two more bookshelves within their components. We expect these to be completed by late summer.
How does it work?
- Read a book while waiting for a flight, and return it to the shelves before you hop aboard.
- Select a book to take along, and keep it forever.
- Select a book and leave behind another book, knowing that I, or my cadre of volunteers, will vet each one during our regular inspections of shelves.
Alaska Airlines has provided funding for all facets of construction, and we can’t thank them enough for their support of my crazy idea that seems to have “taken off” in a big way.
AK Kid helps stock shelves near the ticketing area of ‘A’ concourse at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Michael Dinneen photo
Reading and travel are two very similar activities: It’s not just words on a page, or utilizing a form of transportation. Both can open your world, and that’s what I’m trying to do.
Need more information? Email Read On the Fly at readontheflyak@gmail.com
~EK
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Awesome awesome idea. Reading is very important at our household. Sally was a reading teacher for years. Now we have the grand babies and read countless children’s books.
Thanks for doing this project. I hope it catches on at other spots and grows.
We think of you often. Tim thinks so very highly of you guys. Best wishes and God bless.
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