Book-A-Brick At Ela Area Public Library

If you are an avid library patron or are looking for a unique gift to give someone, why not Book-a-Brick through the ?

The Book-a-Brick program is available to anyone in the community interested in engraving a brick and having it cemented along the side of ’s main entrance walkway.

Almost 10 years old, the Book-a-Brick program has allowed more than 500 people to commemorate a loved one, celebrate a graduation or birthday, or just show their appreciation for reading.

“We have had many patrons purchase five, six and seven bricks to honor friends and relatives,” said Valerie Stern, the library’s public information and volunteer coordinator.

Stern suggests that people “take a moment and look” at some of the engravings on the bricks. “There are so many interesting stories behind some of them,” she said.

One brick was purchased by Jeff Mashke as a gift for his fiancé in 2009. It bears the engraving, "The Luckiest, Jeff & Melissa Mashke." The Luckiest by Ben Folds is the first song they danced to at their wedding.

Another brick is engraved with "Loving memory of my mom Ruth Matre, she taught me the love of reading." Her daughter Bev Matre purchased the brick in her mother’s memory, because she was an avid reader and always read to her and her brothers.

The Medina family bought a brick with the engraving, "We love to check you out! Jean, Gus, Isa, Tori and Nick Medina." They love the library and frequently check out books and movies, and participating in its clubs and programs.

The bricks come in two sizes: 8-by-8 with six lines of text available for $125, and 4-by-8 with three lines of text available for $75.

Orders are due by Sept. 1 and will be installed mid- to late October. A letter is sent out to patrons letting them know their brick has been installed.

“We usually do an installation once a year, but we take orders all year long,” said Stern. “If we have a lot of orders come springtime, we’ll do an additional brick installation.”

Stern assures that there is plenty of room for the bricks and if they ever come up short on space, there is always the walkway along the island that separates the parking lot from the pickup area at the front of .

For more information go to www.eapl.org.