SAL1 Lexington Legends

Legends Announce Hit The Books Winner

Published on February 5, 2008 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Lexington Legends News Release


APPLEBEE'S PARK (Lexington, KY) - The Lexington Legends announced the winning bookmark design for their eighth annual "Hit the Books" campaign Tuesday. The program, presented in a joint effort by the Legends and Chick-fil-A, is designed to encourage students to seek out and read literature.

Ben Eckert, a fifth-grade student at Stonewall Elementary School in Lexington, was chosen as the winning entry in the reading incentive program bookmark design contest. Eckert was chosen among more than 18,000 entries from elementary schools in Fayette County and it's surrounding counterparts.

For his efforts, Ben will receive a Legends prize pack including Legends merchandise, a framed bookmark and a free membership in the 2008 Little Legends Kids Club. Ben will also be invited to throw out the first pitch at a designated Legends' game for his school.

The program is particularly special to Legends principal owner Bill Shea and son Andy, whose mother, Susan, has become a staple in the academic community at one of the nation's most prestigious Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. Most recently, Mrs. Shea was honored as the School of Education representative on the Board of Trustees at Boston College.

"As the son of a lifelong educator, I know first hand that this is one of our most important and essential community activities we do," Legends GM Andy Shea discussed. "It gives me great pride knowing that the Legends are a part of this program and offer such an incredible opportunity to the youth of Central Kentucky."

Since the Legends started this program in its inaugural 2001 season, over 100,000 central Kentucky school children have participated in the reading initiative. With the bookmark design finally established, the Hit the Books campaign begins, as participating schools will receive the new bookmarks in the coming months.

The newly designed page-holder is accompanied on the front with three bases and a home plate. For every book the student reads, their teacher will initial a base. When the student has read four books and had them confirmed by their teacher, the student can bring their completed bookmark to the Legends box office in exchange for two tickets to a specified Legends home game.

"The Hit the Books campaign is something school children of this area look forward to each passing year," President and CEO Alan Stein said. "We're proud to be apart of this program and we continue to encourage students to keep reading."

The program will continue to run through April 1st. The school with the most bookmarks redeemed on any designated night will win a luncheon assembly provided by Chick-fil-A.

The Legends will open the 2008 home schedule on Monday, April 7 against the Greenville Drive! To get tickets call the box office at 422-7867 or go to the website at lexingtonlegends.com.

Check out the Lexington Legends Statistics

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