We are two weeks away for the Friends of the ETLPL’s Annual Books and Bites. This is the only time all of the books donated for our book sales are pulled out of the storage room and available for purchase. It is held the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. This year that means May 24^th. It will begin an hour earlier this year to catch the early bird: 9:00am-2:00pm.

Prices are unreasonably reasonable. At $1.00 for a hardcover and $.50 for paperbacks, children’s books, and DVDs I’d say they’re giving them away except this is a fundraiser and I don’t want any confusion. Since the prices are so low, the Friends actually make more money off the Bites part of the sale. We are looking for bakers. Should anyone wish to contribute, baked goods should be dropped off at the library by closing on May 23^rd. In fact, it was reported at the Annual Meeting last week that the table in the library raised nearly as much money the past year as last year’s Books and Bites. That is largely due to Friend Don Roberts who swaps out the books every Tuesday afternoon.

Also for sale are items the Yarn & Stitch ladies made. There are plenty of hats and lap rugs. This may not be the time we think of needing knit caps, but this is Wisconsin so they may be needed yet. Year-round items include floral book marks and the such adorable stuffed animals they keep selling just by virtual of being visible in the programming space. The snail and fox were still there last time I checked.

Once the Friends are set up, I hope to finish cleaning the Lion’s Room. Last month they emptied that storage area of everything they didn’t know was there and didn’t want to keep. Six tables remained. Last week DPW removed items that should have been scraped or tossed after various maintenance projects. I’ve been battling spiderwebs and general dust/dirt and organizing the extra shelving and maintenance supplies we will keep.

By the end of Books and Bites the dust and dirt will be banished so we may store large and seldom used items in that room. First up will be those white chairs I wrote about in March. At that time, a stack was left outside to draw interested parties. We actually had one taker, but only for four chairs. Brandy, remembering her daughter’s bridal shower and wedding, suggested we add them to the Library of Things.

Last week Brandy scrubbed them clean. Lisa added them to the catalog. They wait in groups of 10 for patrons hosting any type of event requiring up to 30 more chairs then their home provides. Due dates are flexible and most importantly, we’ll take reservations.