30 January, 2013
Adults, children, runners and non-runners lined up to meet Dick and Rick Hoyt, the inspiring father and son team know as Team Hoyt, at their book signing event on Saturday January 26.
The Hoyts were in Hopkinton at the Red Barn Café at Colella’s Supermarket to promote three books that tell their story, the most recent one called One Letter at Time written by Rick Hoyt. Dick Hoyt spent the morning talking to fans and signing books and posing for photos with his son Rick.
Erica Brown, a reporter for the Hopkinton Independent made a special trip to meet the Hoyts after having interviewed Dick for a story about the bronze statue of Team Hoyt that that will be placed on the Center School lawn.
26.2 Foundation President Michael Neece presented the Hoyts with a copy of a painting by his son Dustin, who painted the Hoyts to commemorate the running of their 30th Boston Marathon. And Susan Marshall of the Hopkinton Public Library obtained signatures for a book spine that will be incorporated into the heritage quilt to help support the library expansion.
“We are so excited because today we actually got the signatures of Rick and Dick Hoyt to put on a spine for the library Heritage Quilt, and the exciting part is they have written three books, we do this for authors, and what better authors can we have than Rick and Dick Hoyt and to have them right here in Hopkinton. We can’t wait to put it into the quilt itself", said Marshall.”
Dale Danahy and her daughter Kelly presented Rick Hoyt with a birthday cake which was shared with those attending the book signing and another small chocolate cake just for Rick who recently celebrated his 51st birthday.
All in all, it was a fun filled morning and a chance for residents to meet and support Dick and Rick Hoyt who said that it was great to be in Hopkinton.
“It’s really great to be in here in Hopkinton," said Dick Hoyt. "All the people here are so great to us. We look forward every year to coming down to Hopkinton and this coming April is going to be our 31st Boston Marathon and it's just going to be so great to see that statue out there. I'd just like to thank everoone from Hopkinton; they're really great people, and in fact, I think we think we should probably buy a house here.”
In addition to the Boston Marathon in April, the Hoyts will be back in Hopkinton on April 8th for the unveiling of the statue at Center School. They will also be visiting the Middle school on Friday, February 1st to speak at an assembly and they’ll be back again to speak on April 4th at an event sponsored by the HPTA.
