Rotarians seeking donations for Tillsonburg book fair
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The Tillsonburg Rotary Fall Book Fair will again be held at the Tillsonburg Town Centre mall, but there are a few changes this year.
It will be held at a new location inside the mall at the former Bentley luggage store space.
The dates have been extended this year to Oct. 1 to 3, Oct. 8 to 10, Oct. 15 to 17 and Oct. 22 to 24.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, organizers can have up to 10 people inside the book fair area at one time.
“That’s the only way we can control the six-foot distancing these days,” said Rotary member Bob Aykroyd. “Our volume won’t be as high, that’s why we spread it out (from Oct. 1 to 24), so people can get through and look at it.”
The book fair will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. – which are the regular mall hours – on the designated days.
“It is a fundraiser for the Rotary,” said Aykroyd. “We use the proceeds to buy dictionaries for all the Grade 3 students in the Tillsonburg area, from Norwich to Straffordville.”
The Rotary Club of Tillsonburg started its book fair in 1980 at the library, but it outgrew that space.
“For the last five, six years, we’ve had it at the Tillsonburg Town Centre mall,” said Aykroyd, noting the Rotary is grateful to mall management for allowing them to occupy the centre court in past years, and is thankful to the many contributors of books, the local stores (Sobeys, Metro, Shoppers Drug Mart) who provided plastic bags, and students from Glendale Interact Club who help set up.
It’s estimated that more than 45,000 books have been sold over the last 40 years.
“Last year we did the book fair in April and October. We were going to do it in April this year, then COVID came and shut it down.”
BOOK DONATIONS
Donations of paperback and hardcover books, puzzles and children’s books are being accepted for this year’s Tillsonburg Rotary Book Fair until Sept. 28. To arrange pick up of donated books, call 519-842-4565.
cabbott@postmedia.com
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