FERGUS – In a Fergus basement, a group of seniors are hard at work filling boxes with donated books and items, then adding them to a stack that has largely sat idle since 2020 but is expected to grow as donations are accepted for the book sale once again.
The Elora Festival Giant Book Sale is returning after two years on the shelf because of COVID. This annual sale is a fundraiser for the Elora Festival, a classical music festival, held at the Elora Curling Club on David Street West.
The 2022 Annual Giant Book Sale will open on Friday evening May 6 and both the following Saturday and Sunday May 7 and 8. An admission fee is required for the Friday evening and cash is generally used at the event as credit and debit is not accepted.
Husband and wife team Blake and Judy Stormes, volunteer members of the executive team, said in an interview the sale has been an annual event for around 30 years and has been sorely missed by many.
“It’s a big event, I think a lot of people come to the sale year after year, it’s a chance to buy some reasonably priced books,” Blake said. “I sort of think it’s part of the identity of Elora, the festival and the book sale that supports it.”
People would normally be able to drop off donations year-round at an outdoor shed at the Book Depot, located at 380 St. Andrew St. W. in Fergus at the end of Maiden Lane.
Donations weren't accepted for quite some time but started up again this March. Now, Judy said volunteers are “pretty busy right now” dealing with an influx of donations people have been holding on to for a few years.
Blake added volunteers have been emptying out the shed twice each day and a group made up mostly of seniors work in the basement Book Depot twice a week sorting donations and preparing boxes for the big day.
Although focused on books, there are other items such as DVDs, vinyl records, CDs and games making up the more than 60,000 items that will eventually hit the book sale floor.
They’re going to keep taking more books in good condition but Judy explained they do not want textbooks, library books, encyclopedias and most magazines.
The Stormes’ both said they think the return of the book sale is a good sign for the community.
“We see a window of opportunity here to run a sale and I know people have been storing their books and they’re donating now,” Blake said. “I think people are just looking for some return to normalcy and running the sale is part of that.”
“Our volunteers are pretty excited to have some structure in the day and sense of community again and just getting out of the house and energizing themselves, highly motivated to put on a good sale,” Judy added.
Volunteers are needed to help with the event. To learn more about how you can help call the Elora Festival office at 519-846-0331.
More information can be found here.
