Trekkers to Host Paul Theroux on July 16th as Part of 20th Anniversary Celebration

ROCKLAND, Maine - Trekkers, a local youth mentoring organization, will welcome travel writer and novelist Paul Theroux to the Midcoast this summer as part of its 20th anniversary event at the Strand Theatre on July 16th. Theroux is most widely recognized for his witty and thought-provoking writing about issues abroad, oftentimes in less traveled destinations such as western Africa and Asia.

In designing the 20th anniversary celebration, Trekkers recognized similarities between its focus on expeditionary learning and travel-based education, and Mr. Theroux’s enthusiasm for travel and cultural exploration. Trekkers’ Executive Director Don Carpenter said of the upcoming event, “This celebratory evening will not only allow Trekkers to bring a nationally known author to the area, it will also give us a chance to introduce the community to what Trekkers is and does. In addition to Mr. Theroux’s talk about the educational value of travel and cultural exploration, we’ll also feature the stories of some of our own students. It will be a wonderful way to showcase the importance of experiential learning.”

Trekkers was founded in 1994 as a volunteer community initiative to reach out to 7th grade students from the town of Thomaston. Twenty years later, Trekkers now works with more than 200 students in grades 7 to
12 from the six communities of Regional School Unit #13. The organization connects young people with caring adults through community service, expeditionary learning and adventure-based education. Over the past four years, the nonprofit group has been expanding its services and broadening its service area in a stepwise process that will double the number of students served by its six-year program.

If you would like to purchase tickets for the public event, general seating is $20. Tickets are also available for a pre-event reception with the writer, including preferred seating at the Strand Theatre for $35. The event will conclude with a question and answer session and a book signing by Mr. Theroux. All proceeds benefit Trekkers’ youth mentoring programs. Tickets will be available at the Trekkers' office in Thomaston, the Owl & Turtle in Camden, the Reading Corner and hello, hello books in Rockland. For more information or to reserve tickets, call the Trekkers office: (207) 594-5095.