Conicelli Autoplex Sponsors Maniac Magee Day June 2 with author & Norristown native Jerry Spinelli

May 30, 2012 - PRLog -- Elmwood Park Zoo, at 1661 Harding Blvd. in Norristown, PA  will be the location for a full day of events revolving around a beloved book set in Norristown, its characters, and the book's renowned author, a Norristown native.

"Maniac Magee" is a Newbery Medal-winning novel about a boy who runs all the way across Pennsylvania and finally stops in the town of Two Mills, which is never the same again.

From 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Norristown Bicentennial Committee (http://norristown.org/featured/bicentennial) will host a series of events, all of which are free and open to the public. This is the latest event in the year-long commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Municipality of Norristown on March 31, 1812.

Among the planned activities to be held at Elmwood Park Zoo:

• Several scenes from Spinelli's popular novel, "Maniac Magee," will be recreated by local theatre groups
• Local students will be selected to perform with the acting troupes
• Sets will be built to create the backdrop and bring the book to life in the Elmwood Park Zoo, Elmwood Park and the sports fields
• Five- to fifteen-minute performances throughout the day
• Meet "Maniac Magee" author Jerry Spinelli at a question and answer session
• Walk into into a Living Storybook
• See scenes from the novel come alive including a visit to the Elmwood Park Zoo
• Enjoy Sam Lit from HyLitRadio.com as emcee and Carmen Astrella, original dancer from American Bandstand
• See the locations where Maniac "lived" and thrived in Norristown

There will also be vendors with a variety of food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, funnel cake, water ice and more at great prices, plus there will be oldies music, sports, baseball and football mini-clinics, and a knot-tying contest with pizza prizes! Great fun for kids from 7-15, especially Scouts and Brownies.

Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Maniac Magee (Little Brown, 1990), winner of the Newbery Medal; Wringer, a Newbery Honor Book; and Stargirl (Knopf, 2000) a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults.

Conicelli Autoplex (http://www.conicelliautoplex.com) is a family-owned new- and used-car dealership group headquartered in Conshohocken, PA, with dealerships in Conshohocken and Springfield, PA selling new and used Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota, and Scion vehicles. Conicelli Autoplex is proud to be a Presenting Sponsor for the ongoing Norristown 2012 Bicentennial events.