By PAMELA JOHNSON

For the Washington Daily News

CHOCOWINITY — Many people across the country celebrate National Grandparents Day on Sept. 8. Some dispute whether or not Grandparents Day is an actual holiday. Those who celebrate nationwide stay connected by Skyping or changing their Facebook profile photo to display their loved ones. Chocowinity Primary School held its 11^th-annual Grandparent Read-In Day in celebration of grandparents.

Parents, grandparents and great-grandparents alike came out to the elementary school to connect with the youth. The event started at 1 p.m. with about 200 people showing up —some family members and others not. Alicia Vosburg, Chocowinity Middle School principal, said not everyone who comes out is family, calling attention to the fact that many children live in extended homes.

Chocowinity Primary has been celebrating Grandparent’s Day since 2008, as many grand-parents in Beaufort County play the dual role of parent and grandparent.

With halls lined with people, participating parents and grandparents formed lines in the library to check out books, then gravitating to the classrooms where families sat across from one another at tables or held one-on-one and group read-a-longs on the floor.

Turnout for the event has increased every year with this year’s attendance being the highest since the celebration launched, according to Vosburgh.