The Friends of Kent Memorial Library are pleased to report that we have had another successful book sale this year. The proceeds from the three-day sale were over $16,000. This money is used to support Kent Memorial Library programs and purchase materials for the library throughout the year.
Patrons of this year’s book sale line up before the pre-opening sale.
Many “hands” go into making this sale happen. First, thanks to Second Baptist Church for providing us space which permits us to sort and store the thousands of books that are donated to us during the year. Then the Town pitched in again. The Public Works crew helped with the book move to the church from two different storage locations two weeks before the sale (as well as over 30 volunteers). We moved thousands of books before the sale, and then after, they were back to move us back to Second Baptist. Thanks, too, to the schools who loaned us tables. It’s an amazing team effort, and we are so appreciative of the Town’s continued support.
Second, is the generous invitation by Sacred Heart Church to use Father Ted Hall for our sale for the seventh year! Without this wonderful space, we would be hard pressed to find a suitable location, and this is definitely “suitable.” The handicapped accessibility of the building, the clean, convenient rest rooms, and the spacious hall are very much appreciated. Due to the continued COVID issues, we did require masks in the building which almost all shoppers were willing to do.
We were able again this year to hold a paid admission early-bird sale Friday night that many customers like because their schedules don’t permit them to attend the free sale on Saturday or Sunday. Our volunteers are especially grateful for this indoor location. Gone were the worries about what to do in case of rain. When the sale closed on Saturday night, we didn’t have to carry tables filled with heavy books into the library for overnight protection. We simply straightened the books, turned out the lights, and locked the doors.
And then we have all our generous book donors and loyal volunteers. This sale could not happen without them. Volunteers sort donated books on the first Saturday of each month at the library, all year! Volunteers move hundreds of boxes of donated books to our storage location during the year. They sort and label and clean and organize the books into the more than 70 categories shoppers can choose from each year, putting in thousands of hours. They set up the books and work the book sale, act as cashiers and help us break down after the sale.
Kerry and Bob White, Nancy Smith, Ruth Zimmerman and Anne Borg are the core of the volunteer effort, and each put in hundreds of hours each year. Without our many, many dedicated volunteers, the book sale would be history! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your help. We’d also like to express appreciation to our hundreds of customers, who, at our request, wore masks while they shopped. This was the second book sale that we’ve held while COVID-19 was still a concern, and we were very grateful for our customers’ cooperation in helping us to keep everyone safe.
And we begin again. Monthly book collections, the first Saturday of each month, will begin on Saturday, October 1 from 10 a.m. to noon at the library on Main Street. The Friends’ book cart will again be stocked with books for sale at that time. Stop in and browse!