Greg Mortenson
Tickets to meet author Greg Mortenson in March were all handed out Saturday, even before everyone waiting in line could get one.
Andrea Moore, programming outreach coordinator for the Carson City Library, said people began lining up around 5 a.m., and by the time the library opened at 10, the line snaked through the parking lot and down the sidewalk.
"It was wonderful so many people were interested and willing to sit outside in the fog to get tickets," she said.
However, she said, it was also disheartening to see the 400 tickets go so fast.
"We were disappointed that everything was gone by 10:45," she said. "It just happened so quickly."
Mortenson, author of "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time," will be in Carson City on March 9. His visit will be the highlight of the library's community reading project to encourage the entire city to read the same book.
Moore said there are still 50 tickets that will be given out through a lottery. Anyone interested in entering the drawing should visit the library, 900 N. Roop St., to fill out an entry form.
More tickets may also become available, she said, if anyone who presently has tickets has a change of plans and returns them.
She encouraged community members to continue reading the book - or his newer release, "Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan" - even if they don't have a ticket to the event.
"The message in his book is bigger than his appearance," Moore said. "It's about the value of education and what it can do for communities and cultures."
The library will schedule forums for members of book clubs and the community as well as students to discuss the two books.
Beginning in February, the library will host a reading event every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The first will be Feb. 9 at the Galaxy Theatres featuring former Nevada Appeal photographer Rick Gunn's show "Soul Cycler," showcasing images and stories from his bike ride around the world.
Other local photographers and travelers will be featured each Tuesday following in the library auditorium.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.carsoncitylibrary.org or call 887-2244.