Tom Crabtree at library Thursday to read Dr. Seuss

Tom Crabtree plays guitar and sings with Rock and Roll Reunion. Channel 7/WSPA-TV news anchor Tom Crabtree will be at the Cherokee County Public Library in Gaffney on Thursday, Aug. 2, for a lunch-time reading from 12:15-1 p.m. of Dr. Seuss stories.

Kenny Covington and Susan Sarratt, cosponsors of the event, encourage children and adults alike who have a yen for anything Seussical to attend.

"Tom really appreciates the reception that we give him in Gaffney and is very supportive of the programs that we present at the library," said Covington. Free snacks will be available and children will be eligible for door prizes.

Crabtree is best known for his 27 years as a professional broadcaster in the Carolinas. He is an Emmy Award-winning co-anchor of the 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news casts on WSPA-TV.

His musical roots go back to the mid-60s when he learned on his brother's Sears Silvertone guitar to play by ear to the hot singles of the times (bought at the original Record Bar store in downtown Durham, N.C.)

During his teenage years, he was always in a combo and his bands always practiced in his parents' garage. With one of his early bands, "The Cavelles," Crabtree played in the finals of the North Carolina Jaycees' Battle of the Bands.

In the fall of 1994, a series of gymnasium jam sessions involving Crabtree, Jack Roper and Sonny Stokes led to the formation of "Rock and Roll Reunion," which debuted at the 1995 Spartanburg Spring Fling, his first public performance on guitar in 15 years. Crabtree says his major musical influences include the Beatles, Paul McCartney, the Eagles and Buddy Holly.