Another Banner Year For Library Book Sale
It may have been the extended heat wave that drove people to seek the air-conditioned comfort of Reed Intermediate School, but Friends of the C.H. Booth Library Annual Book Sale organizer Denise Kaiser said that she believed the 2013 sale drew a larger crowd than last year during its run, Saturday, July 13 through Wednesday, July 17.
“We know that we had 1,306 paying adults on Saturday, our opening day,” Ms Kaiser said, a number that was up from 2012, even taking into account that the age for free entry was increased to age 18 for the first time this year.
With no entry fee charged on Sunday (or subsequent days), she felt that the number of patrons was probably equal to that of Saturday. Book lovers found already bargain prices for the thousands of books, CDs, and DVDs slashed by half on Monday, followed by the popular “$5 Bag Day” on Tuesday, and the mother of all bonuses, Free Day, on the final day of the sale. It was a steady flow of bibliophiles, taking advantage of the unbeatable prices.
Only very few books remained unsold when the noontime closing bell rang, July 17.
“Things don’t go into the garbage, though,” emphasized Ms Kaiser. “What hasn’t sold by noon on the last day is picked up by a company that takes paper,” she said. So that unsold copy of Nancy Drew’s The Secret In The Old Attic could come back one day as a Fancy Nancy book — or maybe a paper coffee cup.
Every year has special moments, Ms Kaiser said. This year, it was nice to see many more local people than usual. “We also had a number of people who thanked us for holding the sale, in spite of what happened 12/14,” she said. “I think it was proof that life can go on,” Ms Kaiser added.
Whether attracted from within the town, or travelers from many miles away, people are always impressed with the facility, the generosity for the school system, the size of the sale, and the organization, said Ms Kaiser.
She attributedthe smooth operation to the many volunteers. “Our volunteers are wonderful,” she said, staying extended hours, assisting shoppers, and always condensing collections and straightening the sections of books and other items as the hours go by.
“We haven’t tallied the numbers yet,” said Ms Kaiser, as she waited for the truck to pick up the last of the tables, Wednesday afternoon, “but it seemed like another successful fundraiser.”
No matter what the final net is, though, Friends of the C.H. Booth Library is committed to supporting the library at the level it always has, she said.
And until the truck pulled in, she had plans of her own: “I’ve got a warmed up piece of pizza, the New York Times Magazine that I haven’t had time to read, and three pieces of the flourless chocolate cake from Trader Joe’s left behind.”
Life is good.