EVENTS: JULY

CONNECTICUT

Call them Ishmael: ‘Moby’ marathon

AT the Melville Marathon, July 31 to Aug. 1 at Mystic Seaport, volunteers will read all of “Moby-Dick,” starting at noon July 31. Visitors can sign up for a short chapter or a long one. Hardy souls stay overnight aboard the Charles W. Morgan, a wooden whaling ship.

Contact Mystic Seaport, P.O. Box 6000, Mystic, CT 06355; (888) 973-2767, www.mystic.org.

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ILLINOIS

Take a swing

or steal home

The John Hancock All-Star FanFest, July 11 to 15 at McCormick Place in Chicago, sounds like baseball heaven: seminars and clinics with major league players, managers and coaches; state-of-the-art video batting cages; a “steal home” challenge on a 90-foot span; a Negro League exhibit; create-your-own baseball cards; free autographs and plenty of memorabilia for sale. Visitors can pose for photos with favorite players and watch baseballs and bats being made.

Contact Major League Baseball Properties, 245 Park Ave., New York, NY 10167; (800) 449-3267, www.mlb.com.

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MISSOURI

Rub shoulders with Tom, Huck

National Tom Sawyer Days, July 2 to 5 in Hannibal, is all about Mark Twain, from tours of the town and nearby caves to river rides and, most of all, fence-painting contests. The Tomboy Sawyer contest for girls will include catching tadpoles and spitting watermelon seeds. Also planned: frog jumping, live music and a parade.

Contact Hannibal Convention and Visitors Bureau, 505

N. 3rd St., Hannibal, MO 63401; (866) 263-4825, www.visit

hannibal.com.

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NEVADA

Music, dance

and art in Reno

Artown, July 1 to 31 in Reno, will host more than 1,000 artists (including Mikhail Baryshnikov and the Branford Marsalis Quartet) in 200 events. Opening night will focus on the hula. Art exhibits include “Edward Hopper: The Paris Years” and “Diego Rivera and 20th Century Mexican Art.” Also planned: movies under the stars, Basque and Celtic fests, “Trial by Jury” in Reno’s historic courthouse, an art stroll, a circus and outdoor evening concerts.

Contact Reno Is Artown, P.O. Box 3058, Reno, NV 89505; (800) 287-7909, www.renoisartown.com.

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NEW MEXICO

Close encounters in Roswell

The Roswell UFO Festival pays homage to the “Roswell incident” -- reports of UFOs in the desert. Thousands of UFO, paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi fans will gather July 4 and 5 for lectures, discussions, classic sci-fi movies and vendor booths.

Contact the Roswell Chamber of Commerce, 131 W. 2nd St., Roswell, NM 88201; (505) 623-5695, www.uforoswell.com.

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OKLAHOMA

Bound for glory

at Guthrie Festival

The sixth annual Woody Guthrie Festival will take place July 9 to 13 in Okemah, Woody’s birthplace and boyhood home. Family (including son Arlo) and friends (including Pete Seeger) will gather to celebrate the life and music of the folk singer.

Contact the Okemah Chamber of Commerce, 208 W. Broadway, Okemah, OK 74859; (918) 623-2440, www.okemah.org.

Events appears once a month.