Community Corner

Marathon Reading of 'A Christmas Carol' in Collingswood Saturday

Starting at 5 p.m., visitors to the vintage furniture shop, Dig This, on Haddon Avenue will be treated to a full read-through of the Dickens classic, plus a canned goods drive.

To put holiday shoppers in the mood—and to raise support for a worthy cause—Collingswood residents will host a marathon reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Dig This starting at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The idea was the brainchild of Collingswood citizen-scientist Kenneth Allendoerfer, who said he reads the classic Christmas story to his children annually, and was happy to find a willing, local partner in Dig This to build out the experience.

"The novel is amazingly readable," Allendoerfer told Patch. "Dickens himself used to perform it. There are a million versions of it, of course, but that's because it's so rich and wonderful. 

"The writing is perfect for this—episodic, short sections, memorable characters, rich language," he said. "And I think it's hilarious. Dickens' narrator persona is really funny and delightful, and you miss that in movies, even good movies.

"It's fun, familiar, and people are interested in it—even though they think they know it," he said.

Many sections of the novel "get shortchanged in movies or plays," Allendoerfer said, but he promises that listeners will be treated to an unabridged performance on Saturday. Volunteer readers will deliver the complete text, and listeners are invited to stay for the entire story or just a few passages.

As an incentive, Dig This is offering a discount for shoppers all day long: bring 10 canned goods to be donated to the Food Bank of South Jersey, and get 10 percent off your purchase. Each additional can earns an additional 1 percent off, up to a total of 20 percent.

"The reason for including the Food Bank is because Dickens is the writer about the horrors of poverty, especially of children and poverty," Allendoerfer said.

"The Ghost of Christmas Present has two children (often not shown in adaptations), who are Ignorance and Want," he said. "Bringing a little bit of food seems the least we can do. It just seemed like a natural fit."

"[Dig This owner] Reed [Orem] is such a great guy—so laid back and up for anything—that he was completely on board and enthusiastic," Allendoerfer said. "Plus, they have a lot of chairs, which you need if you're going to read for five hours."

Orem said he is equally enthusiastic about the prospects for the event, not just for the festivity and community outreach, but as a chance to bring some more shoppers downtown in what has been a slow-starting retail season.

"We're hoping to see if we can get people really tuned up about it, keep people away from the malls for one night," he said. 


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