DeKALB – Over the next month, DeKalb might seem a little like St. Petersburg, Mo.

The DeKalb Public Library hopes to bring the fictional hometown of Tom Sawyer and other Mark Twain creations to life in October for the annual Big Read event aimed at engaging the community in reading.

Sunday was the start of Big Read activities as residents gathered at the DeKalb Public Library to whitewash the library’s Tom Sawyer fence that will be displayed through October and participate in games from the time period such as jacks, hopscotch and ring toss.