Imagination Library is celebrating five sweet years of free books for Knox County children. And what's a celebration without a cake? Knox County Public Library is pleased to announce the inaugural Great Cake Bake on March 13, 2010 to be held in the L&N Train Station on World's Fair Park from noon to 5:00 p.m. The event includes competition cakes, a showcase of bakeries, a demonstration stage, a book and bake sale of all kinds of goodies, a cake walk, children's activities, and much more. Tickets to the event can be ordered online at www.knoxlib.org, or at any Knox County Public Library. Cost of admission is $5; children age 10 and younger are free.

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Area bakers of all levels are encouraged to show off their best decorating skills and enter the competition. Divisions include Professional, Advanced, Beginner or Junior (17 and younger) in both wedding and all occasion categories. An entry fee of $10 includes two tickets to the event on March 13. The deadline for competition cake entries is March 5, 2010. Bakers can enter on-line at www.knoxlib.org or at Sugarbaker's on Central Avenue Pike.

Proceeds from The Great Cake Bake benefit Imagination Library of Knox County. This event is made possible through the generous support of Food City, Sugarbaker's, Knoxville News Sentinel, B97.5, East Tennessee Public Television, Sisters of the Skillet, and Friends of the Library.

About Imagination Library

Imagination Library was begun by Dolly Parton in 1996 to serve the children of Sevier County. Since then, the program has grown to serve more than 500 communities on three continents. Imagination Library provides a free, quality book each month to any registered child from birth to age five. Each book is carefully selected by a "blue ribbon" team of literacy and child development experts.

Knox County launched its Imagination Library program in January 2005. Knox County's Imagination Library mails books to 73% of the eligible population - over 17,000 books per month - leading the nation in the percentage of registered children among urban counties. The program, which is administered by Knox County Public Library, has now mailed over 600,000 books to more than 31,000 children since January 2005, giving kids access to the high-quality children's literature that can help them develop a passion for reading and help them enter school ready to succeed. The Governor's Books from Birth Foundation provides 50% of the funding for all Tennessee communities in Imagination Library, with the balance being raised by the local board that supports Imagination Library.