Books and Ice Cream Offered at After-School Spree at Mark Twain Library's Annual Book Fair

Written by Maggie McIntire, Adult Program Coordinator, The Mark Twain Library

Books and ice cream await children during a special After-School Spree at the Mark Twain Library’s 55th Annual Book Fair. The spree will be held from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on Friday, September 4 – the first day of the fair – and will feature librarians from the Children’s room who will give age-appropriate recommendations to the kids. There will be free ice cream with purchase.

“This is the perfect opportunity to get your child hooked on books,” said Mary Hoskinson-Dean, assistant director and the Children’s and Teen Librarian. “You can’t go wrong with thousands of gently-used, inexpensive books – plus free ice cream!”

The Book Fair will be held for four days over Labor Day weekend, from Friday, September 4 to Monday, September 7, at the Redding Community Center on Lonetown Road, Redding.

This year, the children’s section of the Book Fair will have some special selections, according to Carol Hartten, a Book Fair volunteer for 25 years whose specialty is children’s books. In addition to having plenty of brand new books, there will be a large selection of teen books, and larger sections of graphic novels and book series. There will also be plenty of workbooks in nearly perfect condition.

“We’ll also have a new category that we’re calling ‘Childhood Treasures,’ ” Hartten said. “These are older – pre 1985 books, going back to the 1940’s.”

The children’s section of the Book Fair includes fiction and non-fiction books for all ages, from pre-school to teen. It also includes a parenting section, cds and dvds.

“We’ll definitely have a lot of items that will appeal to everyone,” said Hartten.

Opening day is Friday, September 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the first hour, (from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.), there is a $15 admission charge and tickets for that hour will be available starting at 7 a.m. (Book dealers start lining up the night before for the opportunity to get first dibs!). There will also be a special afterschool “Children’s Event” that afternoon from 2:30 to 6 p.m. On Saturday, September 5 the Fair will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, September 6, will be “Half-Price Day” and the Fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Monday, September 7, the Fair will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday will be “Boxing Day” and items will be sold for $10 a box.

Refreshments will be available for sale, there is plenty of free parking, and credit cards are welcomed. All proceeds benefit the Mark Twain Library. The Mark Twain Library is owned by the Mark Twain Library Association. It was founded in 1908 by Samuel Clemens – Mark Twain himself – one of Redding’s most celebrated residents.