BAY MINETE — Writer, inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin visited Bay Minette Thursday to tell residents about his life and times and the Magic of Reading.

The North Baldwin Literacy Council and the Bay Minette Public Library hosted Rich Davis, who tours schools and libraries dressed as the founding father, talking to people about Franklin’s life and his love of reading, during the program to promote reading in the community.

Davis uses the character of Ben Franklin, who educated himself through reading, to inspire children and adults to read more and expand their knowledge.

He also talks to students about experiments Franklin did with electricity and elicits help from audience volunteers for demonstrations of the experiments.

Davis described one particular experiment that began with a French man who had duplicated Franklin's lightning rod.

"The french man wanted to see what would happen if he lined some people up and gave the person on the end a shock," he said. "The French man's theory was that if he shocked the person on the end, they would all receive a shock. So, he touched the person on the end with the rod, and they all jumped."

Davis pretended to touch the boy at the end of his line and all the kids jumped. He said the French man's next experiment got a little bolder.

"He got even more of his friends to stand in line, wrapped wire around them, then he touched the rod to the person on the end, and this time, they didn't just jump, they made a sound," he said.

Again, the children held hands, while Davis acted as if he were winding wire around each one. When he got to the end, he touched the girl on the end with his imaginary lightning rod, and the kids jumped and squealed as if they had been shocked.

"Benjamin had been hearing about the experiments, and he wanted to try some himself," Davis said. "He developed a lightning rod that was 10 times stronger than the one the French man had been using.

“He invited seven distinguished gentleman over and had them line up, each one putting their hand on the head of the person next to them,” Davis said. “Then he touched the person on the end with the lightning rod, and they all collapsed unconscious.”

He touched the person on the end, and all the children fell to the floor.

"And three hours later, they came to," he laughed.

Finally, after introducing the audience to Benjamin Franklin, the writer, scientist, community activist, inventor and statesman, Davis addressed them about the importance of reading.

"I challenge you to find something you love and read so much about it that you know more about it than anyone else," he said. "That's how Benjamin Franklin learned about electricity, and that's how I learned about Benjamin Franklin."

Bay Minette Public Library Director Joanna Bailey said she was extremely impressed with the program and she especially loved the presenter's challenge.

"The event was a great learning experience for everyone in attendance," she said. "I was most impressed by Dr. Davis' comment about reading about your favorite subject to learn the most you can about it."

Bailey said she has also been inspired to add Ben Franklin's autobiography to her "must read" list.

She said Marilyn Waters, director of the North Baldwin Literacy Council, was instrumental in bringing The Magic of Reading program to Bay Minette.

"Dr. Davis sends out program information all over the southeast through the mail. Once she received the information, she then contacted Quincy Compressor via NBLC Board Member Jerry Rice for grant money to fund the event," Bailey said.

She said Quincy Compressor donated $325 to fund the event.

"We were pleased with the attendance,” she said. “But, I think it would have been much more successful had we had more publicity."