As the summer comes to an end, rural Eugene celebrates a time-honored tradition: the annual book sale. Held by the River Road Santa Clara Volunteer Library, the book sale offered low prices for community members hoping to round out the end of their summer reading lists.
Saturday, August 24, the book sale had discounted books to raise money for the nonprofit library. Regular books were two dollars apiece, and children’s books were a dollar apiece. Sunday, August 25, the event continued, where book sale visitors could fill a grocery bag’s worth of books for just 10 dollars. Organized by genre and alphabetized, the event provided a variety of choices for customers to pick from.
Many people aren’t aware of the lack of library services in the rural areas surrounding Eugene, like the smaller town of Santa Clara. Because Santa Clara is not technically within city limits and residents do not pay city taxes, the residents don’t have access to garbage services, fire services or library services. To access the Eugene Public Library’s large selection of books, movies and music, they must pay a yearly fee of $125.
Vickie Cain, volunteer library president, wanted to change that. She and other members of the community created the River Road Santa Clara Volunteer Library, a nonprofit working to provide the rural areas with access to books and other resources. The library is funded entirely through donations and fundraising events like the book sale.
“The library itself is a really happy place,” Cain said. “People come to the library because they love books. We just want to get our name out there and provide that for the community. It’s really important.”
Benefiting both the nonprofit and the community of Santa Clara, the weekend book sale was a major success. Bustling with community members of all ages, the book sale offered low prices, while helping to support an essential local nonprofit.
Other community members were also involved in putting on and organizing the event, like Carl Bamford. “I’m friends with Vickie and she needed some help, so I came out to help,” Bamford said. “I also love books. I like to read and explore and be entertained. I’ve got bookcases full of ’em at home.”
As book prices rise in major retail stores like Barnes & Noble, events like these provide a cheaper alternative for locals to do their book shopping before the end of the summer, while spreading the word about a major resource people of the community can access for free. Reading rates in the US continue to decrease, but events like the book sale are important reminders to encourage reading for all ages.
The book sale wasn’t the only event held that weekend at the community center. Along with the sale, the local Grange, another nonprofit of the rural community, held the Verne Ivy memorial car show. The local boy scout troop also held a pancake breakfast and all-donation hot dog lunch.
“It’s really nice because we have the three organizations that all work together to put on this great community event,” Cain said.
As September approaches and students return to school, the River Road Santa Clara Volunteer Library continues to give back to their community, putting time and effort into providing books of all genres to the rural areas of Eugene. Raising money to support the rural areas of Eugene, the library volunteers work hard to bring these crucial resources to the people of their community. From Agatha Christie mystery novels to Anthony Bourdain’s beloved cookbooks, the book sale had it all.