One of the best parts of my job is getting out in the community and meeting people.

I was grateful for the chance over the weekend to participate in a Washington County Library Read-a-Thon.

And while I viewed this as a good chance to meet some of Woodbury's younger residents, when I started reading on Saturday, there wasn't anyone there.

R.H. Stafford Library Manager Chad Lubbers said it didn't matter. It's like keeping a vigil, he told me, just keep on reading.

So I jumped into Green Eggs and Ham. It was a little odd reading to no one, but by the time I got into The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Curious George and the Dump Truck, I had a small audience of a handful of kids. They were engaged listeners, quickly answering my questions about Curious George and his adventure.

The Read-a-Thon was part of the library system's "One County, One Book" initiative. That program encourages Washington County residents of all ages to read Alice Ozma's book, "The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared," between January and March.