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Friends of the Norfolk Library thank volunteers and the community for another successful Book and Bake Sale
April 25, 2009 was the date of the Friends of the Norfolk Library Annual Book and Bake Sale this year. Once again, we held the sale at the DPW garage on Medway Branch Road. This is our fourth year at the garage, and each year we say a big thank you to Butch Vito, Paul Vito and the DPW crew for making us feel welcomed in this fantastic space. It’s large, well lit, warm on cold days and cool on hot ones, and amazingly we had just such an array of weather during the four days we inhabited the garage. For three days we set-up for the sale and then for one day and one evening we hold the sale, and during that time the temps swung between 40 degrees and 90 degrees. Only in New England!
At this year’s sale, we offered more than 35,000 books, and all of them were donated to us over the preceding twelve months. These books are collected in our shed at the transfer station or in the Friend’s closet at the library. But they need to get from the shed and the closet to the sale and to do that gigantic job we need many hands. The first step in getting ready for the sale is one that continues all year long. That job is the sorting, packing, and moving of all 35,000 books from the library to our 40 foot storage trailer, and amazingly it’s all done by two people – Maureen and Conrad Buck. These two energetic senior citizens have been in charge of this part of the sale for many years, and they continue to amaze all of us involved in the more mundane and less physical
tasks of putting on the sale. Thank you Maureen and Conrad, we couldn’t do this without your steady one-book-at-a-time philosophy. Several years ago Margaret Lange joined this dynamic duo to sort all of the children’s books, and special thanks to you too Margaret.
The Book and Bake Sale Committee welcomed two new faces to our ranks this year. First, Cathy Elder was in charge of the actual sale days. In this position, she welcomed all volunteers, showed them what to do and how to do it, answered everybody’s questions, and generally had to be in a million places at once. We expected a lot, and she delivered one thousand percent. Thanks Cathy. Also a newbie this year is Beth Vallee who took on the task of soliciting area business for donations to offset the costs of running the sale so that all money raised could go directly to the Norfolk Public Library. She too raised the bar with her dedication and thoughtfullnes by covering all of our pre- sale expenses. Welcome aboard. The remaining members of the 2009 Book and Bake Sale
Committee were Judy Ross, Ann Hanssen, Thayer Olson, Beverly Baldoni, Pat Brylinsky, Patti McCarty, Margaret Lange, Mary Jo Gothorpe, and Maureen and Conrad Buck. Thank you all for your hard work and many laughs along the way.
The Boy Scouts of Troop 80 lead by John Buchholz and Phil Chadwick once again joined our team. This group of boys is working on a Citizenship in the Community Badge, and must assist in the planning and execution of a large community event. They began their efforts by putting up flyers in all area towns early in the month, and continued by setting up all of the tables and moving all 35,000 books from our storage trailer at the back of the DPW garage (in the rain no less.) They then worked all of the hours of the sale assisting shoppers by carrying many boxes and bags of books to shoppers’ cars. They completed their requirement by boxing up the remaining books at the end of the sale. Throughout this entire process the boys were focused and helpful. The town of Norfolk should be proud
of these fine young men who are involved in scouting for they exhibited true community spirit.
Despite all of the work, much of it very physical, that it takes to stage an event this large if people don’t come out to shop, all of the hard work won’t pay off. But come out you did, and we are ever grateful for the support from the citizens of Norfolk. Year to year you donate the best books, you bake the best offerings, and you come out in droves to buy. Many area town libraries are struggling from budget cuts and apathy, but the citizens of Norfolk use and support the Norfolk Public Library, and the Friends of the Library and the library staff are invigorated by your continued support.
Thank you to everyone who participated either by working, or by baking, or by shopping. And to those of you who did all three, and many did, a special thank you for helping to make this the biggest and best Book and Bake Sale ever.
Thanks so much.
Mary Jo Gothorpe
Book and Bake Sale Committee
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