Last weekend's 15th annual Book Bonanza at the Fingerlakes Mall was another record-breaker. Once the mall closed on Friday night, the large crew of parents, students, alumni and friends of St. Joseph School proceeded to move the more than 60,000 books from the book drop room located near Sears through the mall to the center court area where 60 tables were waiting to be filled. The entire process went smoothly, and thanks to the hard work and organization of all, the task was completed in just two and half hours.
By the start of the sale at 9 a.m. Saturday morning, more than 500 people were lined up and eager to find the good bargains ready to be had. Once the sale began, an eerie quiet descended on the mall as the shoppers seriously browsed for the books they were looking for. Many people had lists of books they wanted, others just headed to a favorite section to see what was available.
It was delightful to see young children sitting and reading their treasured new books. All day long, you could see people reading their books at food court tables, on benches and the soft-seating areas stationed throughout the mall. Anyone who thinks that people don't read anymore would change their minds once they saw the sight of so many people happily carrying their armloads of books to the checkout line, which, although it stretched dozens of people long at times, moved quickly thanks to the efficient and friendly cashiers.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Book Bonanza is meeting so many interesting people. Many of the ladies who were the original organizers of the Book Bonanza 15 years ago, when the Friends of Seymour Library ran the sale, stopped by and were amazed to see what the Book Bonanza has become over the years.
I met a kindergarten teacher who was excited to find children's books to fill her classroom. A woman was looking for just one book - the sixth Harry Potter book - and she was thrilled that she found the one copy that was available. Two women, who first came to the sale two years ago from Pennsylvania, made a return trip and spent three days in our beautiful area. They were such a delight to talk to, and they even volunteered to be interviewed by the Channel 5 news reporter who came to cover the story.
We also met a lovely woman who shared fond memories of her librarian mother who instilled in her a life-long love of reading.
Sunday saw a repeat performance as hundreds of people lined up again; this time they were there for the $2 a bag sale. They bought their bags, waited patiently in line until the doors opened and ran to their favorite section to fill their bags as fast as they could. Some people have fascinating strategies for getting as many books into the bag as they can before it breaks.
An event of this magnitude requires the assistance of many people. From the sponsors of the Book Bonanza, including The Citizen, The Printery, (who donated the volunteer T-shirts), Appleton Disposal, Rich & Gardner Construction, Savannah Bank N.A. and the Sign Guys to the staff at the Fingerlakes Mall, who assisted with the set-up, clean-up, answering phone calls and advertising assistance, to the stores who provided boxes (Altier's Shoe Dept. and Waldenbooks), carts to move the books (Sears) and bags for the sale (Bath & Body Works, Aeropostale, Verizon Wireless, Deb and Bass Pro Shops), it is a real team effort. Many thanks to all involved.
But the biggest thanks must go to the members of our community. An area with a population of 40,000 people donated 60,000 books, videos and more to this sale. That is incredible.
Our community has made this event one of the largest used book sales in upstate New York thanks to their generosity. Readers are truly great recyclers and this certainly proves that.
One final note: the guys from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour are at it again with a DVD release of “On the Road,” now available at FYE. You can enter to win a pair of tickets to Larry the Cable Guy's concert at C-Mac in Canandaigua on July 24 or Jeff Foxworthy at the New York State Fair on Aug. 24, courtesy of Fingerlakes Mall.
Enter at FYE, Littman Jewelers and Journey's in the mall. Drawings will be held on July 21 and 28.
It's New York State Fair time, and once again you can purchase your adult admission tickets for just $6 at the mall customer service center from July 24 until Aug. 23.
That's a savings of $4 off the gate admission price.
Diane LaRue is a retail/
community events coordinator for the Fingerlakes Mall
It was delightful to see young children sitting and reading their treasured new books. All day long, you could see people reading their books at food court tables, on benches and the soft-seating areas stationed throughout the mall. Anyone who thinks that people don't read anymore would change their minds once they saw the sight of so many people happily carrying their armloads of books to the checkout line, which, although it stretched dozens of people long at times, moved quickly thanks to the efficient and friendly cashiers.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Book Bonanza is meeting so many interesting people. Many of the ladies who were the original organizers of the Book Bonanza 15 years ago, when the Friends of Seymour Library ran the sale, stopped by and were amazed to see what the Book Bonanza has become over the years.
I met a kindergarten teacher who was excited to find children's books to fill her classroom. A woman was looking for just one book - the sixth Harry Potter book - and she was thrilled that she found the one copy that was available. Two women, who first came to the sale two years ago from Pennsylvania, made a return trip and spent three days in our beautiful area. They were such a delight to talk to, and they even volunteered to be interviewed by the Channel 5 news reporter who came to cover the story.
We also met a lovely woman who shared fond memories of her librarian mother who instilled in her a life-long love of reading.
Sunday saw a repeat performance as hundreds of people lined up again; this time they were there for the $2 a bag sale. They bought their bags, waited patiently in line until the doors opened and ran to their favorite section to fill their bags as fast as they could. Some people have fascinating strategies for getting as many books into the bag as they can before it breaks.
An event of this magnitude requires the assistance of many people. From the sponsors of the Book Bonanza, including The Citizen, The Printery, (who donated the volunteer T-shirts), Appleton Disposal, Rich & Gardner Construction, Savannah Bank N.A. and the Sign Guys to the staff at the Fingerlakes Mall, who assisted with the set-up, clean-up, answering phone calls and advertising assistance, to the stores who provided boxes (Altier's Shoe Dept. and Waldenbooks), carts to move the books (Sears) and bags for the sale (Bath & Body Works, Aeropostale, Verizon Wireless, Deb and Bass Pro Shops), it is a real team effort. Many thanks to all involved.
But the biggest thanks must go to the members of our community. An area with a population of 40,000 people donated 60,000 books, videos and more to this sale. That is incredible.
Our community has made this event one of the largest used book sales in upstate New York thanks to their generosity. Readers are truly great recyclers and this certainly proves that.
One final note: the guys from the Blue Collar Comedy Tour are at it again with a DVD release of “On the Road,” now available at FYE. You can enter to win a pair of tickets to Larry the Cable Guy's concert at C-Mac in Canandaigua on July 24 or Jeff Foxworthy at the New York State Fair on Aug. 24, courtesy of Fingerlakes Mall.
Enter at FYE, Littman Jewelers and Journey's in the mall. Drawings will be held on July 21 and 28.
It's New York State Fair time, and once again you can purchase your adult admission tickets for just $6 at the mall customer service center from July 24 until Aug. 23.
That's a savings of $4 off the gate admission price.
Diane LaRue is a retail/
community events coordinator for the Fingerlakes Mall