BERNARDSTON — For one weekend a year, the Town Hall is filled with hundreds of books and the delectable smell of baked goods as part of the Cushman Library Book and Bake Sale.
“We had books tucked everywhere!” exclaimed library Director Karen Stinchfield, thinking back to the last book and bake sale in September 2015.
While the event is traditionally held in the third week of September, Stinchfield was unable to organize the sale last year due to health problems. Still, because the event is invaluable as a fundraiser for the library, Stinchfield was determined to hold one before the end of the fiscal year. It is scheduled for Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
“That’s our big fundraiser,” she said. “It’s now a part of our budget that (roughly) $1,000 comes from our book and bake sale each year … One hundred percent of the proceeds go to circulating materials for patrons to borrow.”
Circulating materials, Stinchfield explained, include books, DVDs and audiobooks. She said many regular attendees of the sale appreciate the concept of purchasing old books to support the library’a ability to get new ones.
“They feel kind of like their … dollars are being recycled,” she said.
Although Stinchfield is unsure how many years the book and bake sale has been held, she remembers going as a child, back when books were displayed on tables set up on the sidewalk in front of the library. Starting in 2015, the event moved to Town Hall to avoid any poor weather.
“It’s just one of those traditions people wait for,” she said. “They ask for it.”
In her time as director, Stinchfield recalls the event raising as much as $1,600, though $800 or $900 is more typical. About 75 percent of the books sold are donated in advance by residents, and about 25 percent are books that have been withdrawn from library shelves, creating a collection that includes books on gardening, cooking, religion, art and more, as well as some DVDs and audiobooks, Stinchfield said.
Plus, the book and bake sale creates an environment where Stinchfield is able to reconnect with people she hasn’t seen since the last sale, and where fellow book lovers can socialize.
“Anyone who comes to a book sale is a book lover,” she explained. “So everyone is having conversations even though many people don’t know each other. … It’s very social.”
Stinchfield said another book and bake sale will be held in September, to get the event back on track with its usual schedule.
For a list of what types of books Cushman Library won’t accept as donations, visit the Cushman Library Book & Bake Sale Facebook page at bit.ly/2oOFwfv
You can reach Shelby Ashline at:
sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261 ext. 257