2011 Wake County Public Libraries Booksale
If you missed the opening of this year's Wake County Public Libraries Booksale at the Fairgrounds Exposition Building Thursday night, don't fret; the really fun part starts today. In a new twist to match the new location, the library folks have added live music performances today and tomorrow - African drums, Turkish music, a mariachi band, bluegrass and more - along with a slew of kid-friendly activities on Saturday, including an "Instrument Petting Zoo" sponsored by the North Carolina Symphony. Entrance to the sale and all the activities is free of charge. I've been volunteering, helping to set-up and restock, and I can tell you that when I left the sale at 9pm Thursday night there were literally hundreds of unopened boxes lining the side and back walls, waiting for room on the tables, so there are lots of fresh books ready to go. The full schedule of activities is here.
The sale continues Friday and Saturday from 10am-9pm at the Exposition Building, next to Dorton Arena. On Friday all paperbacks and children's books are $2, hardbacks and media (books on CD, etc) are $4. On Saturday, cut those prices in half. On Sunday the sale runs from 10-6 and it's bargain day: $5 lets you fill a box with whatever you want; $2 for a bag. If you're a local booklover, the Wake County Library sale is one of the highlights of the year. This year, they're making it even more of a community gathering point. Free music and tons of good cheap fiction and nonfiction books of all kinds - what's not to like?
Friday:
10-11 a.m. - Ernest McHenry, African Drumming
Noon-1 p.m. - Los Galleros de Mexico, Mariachi band
3-4 p.m. - Adem Eker, Turkish Style Music
5-7 p.m. - Kudzu Ramblers, Blue Grass Band
Saturday:
Family and children's activities until 7 p.m.
10 a.m.-noon - Sandbox!! (Kids and Family band) playing traditional children's music
12:30-2 p.m. - "Instrument Petting Zoo" - sponsored by the North Carolina Symphony
Noon-1 p.m - Special appearance by Muddy, mascot of The Carolina Mudcats
Noon-4 p.m. - Digital Library staff will be available to demonstrate downloading audio and ebooks
2-3 p.m. - Black Belt World will demonstrate Tae Kwon Do
2-5 p.m. - Chris "Juggle Boy" Fowler, stiltwalking and juggling
3-4 p.m. - Irish dancing provided by Inis Cairde School of Irish Dance
4-5 p.m. - Children's movement dance provided by The Dance Center of Knightdale
All day: Drop-in craft for kids, games with prizes, face painting, balloon art, magic tricks, book characters in costume, the WCPL Bookmobile and more!!
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JK
02/19 04:31 PM
They’re only allowing a certain number of people in at any time, so if you’re going during Saturday or Sunday be prepared to wait outside in line. I actually gave up waiting before I got anywhere near the door despite the assurance of a volunteer that it would be ‘a five-minute wait’ at most.
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Todd Morman
02/20 12:35 AM
You should have come back later in the day; I was there from 6-9pm restocking and it was actually really pleasant; not crowded at all with calm folks shopping leisurely. Best part was realizing when I arrived that there were still *pallets* full of unopened boxes that no one - not the people with scanners, not the volunteers - have looked at yet. Seriously. I was opening boxes of amazing books all night, and they’ll be available at $5 a box or $2 a bag tomorrow. I left shaking my head at how much - 100s if not 1000s of boxes, I shit you not - was still unopened. Sunday morning is going to be crazy, and it’s impossible to tell how fast the untouched pallets will go, but right now I’d bet there will still be unopened boxes at the end of the sale (they’ll go to a company called Giggil which pays Wake County later based on what sells). Anyway, maybe keep in mind for next year that the sheer number of books being continuously restocked during this sale means you don’t have to rush to get in at the crazier times. You can find great books even on the evening of the 2nd-to-last day of the sale. I’ll try to remember to post that next year in advance.
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