It’s the literary extravaganza all die-hard book-worms anticipate, and Kyeamba Smith Hall is now undergoing its annual transformation into Wagga’s biggest bookshop.
Vicky Donoghue, a member of Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga, is just one of a small group coordinating the annual Book Fair in what is always a whole community effort.
About 45,000 books are up for sale, and the team are focusing on the challenge of getting the full semi-trailer-load in from their sorting headquarters.
“We are extremely pleased with the quality of this year’s offering and buyers can be sure of getting great value for their dollars, as much of the stock is in near new condition,” Mrs Donoghue said.
Last year’s successful fair saw about 4000 people coming through the doors, surpassing the club’s selling goal of 1000 bags. Since the fair’s inception, the Wagga club has donated over $650,000 to community activities.
“This year we are hoping that the generous people of Wagga will buy more than 1200 bags of books so we can continue to be of service to a wide variety of deserving people and projects,” she said.
“We also hope to sell in excess of 1000 sausages at our famous Rotary BBQ near the exit.”
A core group of 12 dedicated volunteers put in over 1000 hours of preparation work, and all club members, and their families and friends, assist on fair days.
“We are also grateful for the assistance of students from the Clontarf Academy and Kooringal High School who inject their youthful muscle-power into the task of moving into and out of Kyeamba Smith Hall,” Mrs Donoghue said.
Prices remain the same as last year: fill a bag for $50.
If you don’t fill a bag, you can “do a deal”. About 40 percent of the stock is ‘non-fiction’, which is sorted into over 20 categories, including crime and thriller, romance, Sci-Fi/fantasy and general fiction, some large print books, and a solid number of Mills & Boon.
Younger book-lovers are well catered for with approximately 4000 books in youth categories, and a small collection of games.
There will also be jigsaw puzzles, sheet music, DVDs CDs, and a well-stocked and diverse ‘features’ section where enthusiasts can pick up rare or collectible items.
The cut-off for book donations is May 8, but hold onto them for the 2024 fair if you can’t make it.
“Come along and be a part of ‘the book cycle’.”