Nearly 500 students filled the Utah State Capitol rotunda on Oct. 2, spreading blankets, opening books and settling in for an hour of reading. The gathering was the most visible single scene in the first statewide Utah Reads Read-a-Thon, but it was only one part of the day. Schools, libraries and universities joined from across the state, while the governor’s office also described participation in workplaces.
The Capitol event gave the statewide effort a clear, simple shape: choose a book and spend time reading. KSL’s report from the rotunda described children arriving with blankets and books, then settling in together for the hour. The event brought students into a public building usually associated with government and gave them a shared reading space for the morning.
Gov. Spencer Cox and first lady Abby Cox began the day at Guadalupe School in Salt Lake City, where they read with students and helped children select books at a school book fair. The governor then welcomed statewide participants by livestream, while the first lady joined students at the Capitol. Deseret News reported that children at Guadalupe received five books each to take home.
Other schools built the event around students reading across age groups. At Eagle Valley Elementary in Alpine School District, visiting Cedar Valley High School students read with younger pupils and shared favorite books from their own elementary years. The governor’s office said the high school students also talked about why reading remained important to them, making the visit a peer-led activity as well as a reading session.
At Mt. Loafer Elementary in Salem, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson joined students as they watched the governor’s kickoff livestream before reading, according to the governor’s office. In Cache County, Sky View High School’s reading club helped organize participation, with local businesses donating treats. The examples show how schools made the statewide invitation fit their own communities and routines.
Pacific Heritage Academy used the day to connect reading with oral storytelling. The governor’s office said the school shared stories from the cultures of its faculty and staff, including Samoan, Hawaiian, Tongan, Māori, Mexican, Dominican and Armenian traditions, alongside American tall tales. The mix gave the school’s participation a local shape while remaining part of the broader statewide read-a-thon.
Libraries and workplaces adapted the idea to their own settings. The governor’s office described a Thursday employee read-a-thon at Spanish Fork Library and said Friday would bring patron reading and pajama dance parties. Duchesne County Library invited readers to bring pillows and blankets and wear pajamas. Orem Public Library planned an evening session from 5 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 2.
Ken Garff encouraged employees to bring a book to work and spend an hour reading at a time that fit their schedules, according to the governor’s office. That approach widened the invitation beyond a school timetable: people could take part at a library, in a classroom or at work. KSL separately reported that schools, libraries and universities across Utah participated during the day.
Literacy also reached beyond Utah’s school buildings. The governor’s office said Rich Stowell, Alpine School District’s communications director, read to fellow Army Reserve servicemembers at a base library in Italy while deployed with his unit. The example carried the day’s invitation into another setting: adults serving together could also pause with a book.
KSL’s reporting from the Capitol added the voices of students and parents to the event’s official recap. Students described favorite books, including fantasy series, while parents said the Capitol setting made reading together feel special and helped draw children in. Those interviews document the experience in the rotunda; the separate statewide participation was described by the governor’s office and KSL’s broader event coverage.
Utah Reads is a statewide effort aimed at helping children build strong reading skills and encouraging Utahns of all ages to make reading a habit, the governor’s office said. The read-a-thon made that goal visible in a single day: nearly 500 students reading together in the Capitol, older students reading with younger pupils, and libraries and workplaces setting aside time for reading.
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