Of all the aspects of this business I love – meeting amazing neighbors, holding great neighborhood events, creating lasting relationships with some of Bakersfield's finest advertising partners – hanging out with the kids in the community is by far the “perk” I most enjoy. 

 

So, when Highgate Elementary reached out to ask if I would be a “celebrity reader” at this year’s Read Across America event, I readily agreed.  I mean, it’s not every day (and for that matter rarely, if ever) that someone uses the term celebrity in the same sentence with my name. 

 

I have to admit, I was a little more than a tad scared, not knowing what to expect from these kids.  One mother said she had a son in 6th grade and was purposely avoiding reading to that grade level.  I wondered what I got myself into but thought this would be a great experience anyway. 

 

What no one told me about was the level of “competition” I was facing from the other celebrity readers there: a member of the BPD Swat team, a CHP motorcycle officer, several members of the military, a fireman or two … and then me.  No one told me that I had to compete with SWAT and their armored vehicle, a CHP motorcycle, and even a fire truck.  I just came armed with a copy of my magazine. 

 

I chose the easiest book I could find to read to the classes, looked it over for good measure, and off I went to my first class to read to … yep, you guessed it: 6th graders!  I think I blew through that book in about 90 seconds and then realized that I still had another 18 ½ minutes to interact with the kids, so I braced myself and asked, “Any questions?”  The very first question from one brave kid: “How old are you?” To which the teacher thankfully declared off limits.  But we quickly warmed up to each other and the questions flowed about what I do for a living, why I do it, and how I got into it.  All in all, not as scary as I expected. 

 

My next two classes were a 3rd grade and a 5th grade class, and I slowed down, enjoyed the experience in each class, and had a great deal of fun.  With some of the questions I threw back at the kids, it was refreshing to see how engaged these kids are and how interested they are in visitors.  

Now that I achieved celebrity status, I hope they ask me to come back next year.  I’m wondering what I’ll wear next time … swashbuckling crusader outfit with a mask, a superhero outfit, or maybe I'll just go with a simple tuxedo.  

 

Such are the many decisions of a celebrity, I suppose.