John Hartmann reads the Bible at the Washington County Courthouse Thursday morning, when the reading marathon began. Photo by Sally Y. Hart – KCII News

Despite rain sweeping through the area Thursday, the Bible reading marathon in Washington began and is ongoing through Sunday afternoon. The Bible is being read from cover to cover on the grounds of the Washington County Courthouse on the lawn between the courthouse and the McCreedy Building. In order to read it in less than four days, volunteers have signed up to read for 80 non-stop hours around the clock. John Hartmann, who helped organize the local event, explain most volunteers are reading for 15 minutes at a time and they’re trying to do it at multiple locations across the state. The Washington County Board of Supervisors approved the reading unanimously at a meeting held in May.