The annual community reading program known as Linn Area Reads will present The History of Firefighting on Saturday, February 27 at 2:00 pm. This is the first in a series of programs based around Population: 485, the book selected for Linn Area Reads 2010. Local historian Mark Hunter with the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center will give the presentation.

Population: 485 is subtitled Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time. The book features author Michael Perry’s adventures as a member of the volunteer fire and rescue department in New Auburn, Wis. It is filled with colorful characters, real emergencies and the quirkiness of a small Midwestern town.

Additional Linn Area Reads programs will feature conversations with local fire and rescue personnel on their experiences, a panel discussion on the vibrancy of small towns, and a session on fire safety. Perry will read from Population: 485, take questions and sign books on Saturday, May 15 at 2 pm at Theatre Cedar Rapids.

WHAT: Linn Area Reads presents The History of Firefighting

WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2:00 pm

WHERE: Cedar Rapids Public Library Bridge Facility, Westdale Mall, 2600 Edgewood Rd. SW

For more information on this and other Linn Area Reads events, visit www.metrolibrarynetwork.org/linnareareads.

Linn Area Reads is supported by Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Cole Library, East Central Library Services, Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, Friends of the Hiawatha Public Library, Friends of the Marion Public Library, The Gazette, the Giacoletto Foundation, Hancher Auditorium, Linn County Library Consortium, Lisbon Public Library and the Metro Library Network.