I have lived in my town for 7 years and every year since I moved here there has been an enormous used book sale that would occur near the end of June. Over the last couple of years there has been talk about the sale ending because the town was having trouble finding storage. Last year they did not even advertise in the newspaper like the usually do but the sale still went on. This year I cannot find anything online about the sale, only news about how they cannot find storage for the books.
The sale is usually an extraordinary thing; people would wait hours in line for the doors to open (myself included). The selection would fill a middle school gymnasium, a couple of hall ways, and half a dozen class rooms. Most of the books are old and have that great old book smell. The books are cheap, really cheap! Originally they would sell paperbacks for 25 cents and hardbacks 50 cents. Also the variety of people who attended this was a sight to see. The West Virginia Mountain Men, the Book collector, the mother with 3 kids all starting to read, the rogue scholar, and ordinary folks looking for a summer read. This was the best thing about my town and now it is gone.
The fools that run this town had no idea what a good thing they had. This book sale should have been the big town event that kept us on the map, but NOOOOO! We have ‘Premium Outlets’ where morons can spend $50 on a shirt they will where once! No offense to people who like to shop, I’m just saying that this bounty of knowledge that is the book sale should not be easily jettisoned.
Getting people to read and learn is important. My ability to read, enjoy books, and get lost in a story is one of my most valued characteristics.
I’m just upset by the whole thing. The town is Leesburg, Virginia by the way.
