Book worms provided a veritable feast
Orchestras Mississauga Annual Used Book Sale.
Paul Von Zuben flips through a history tome at a previous book sale in support of Orchestras Mississauga. The annual event opens on Thursday and runs until Sunday at the Sheridan Centre.
File photo
Literally thousands upon thousands of books will be made available to lovers of the written word when Orchestras Mississauga hosts its largest fundraising event of the year.
The Orchestras Mississauga Annual Used Book Sale is certainly nothing to sneeze at in terms of its ability to generate cash. The sale raised about $46,000 two years ago and last year's event brought in over $60,000.
Those heading to the Sheridan Centre on Thursday will see more than 175 tables strategically placed throughout the mall, located at 2225 Erin Mills Pkwy. The tables will be bursting with more than 55,000 books that have been broken down into 48 distinct genres and categories.
In addition, there will be some 4,500 records, 3,000 CDs, 2,000 audio tapes, thousands of VHS tapes and 500 DVDs available for purchase along with hundreds of games, puzzles, sheet music and comics.
There are also loose odds and ends, such as old postcards and calendars, and a slew of children's books.
The sale is so large, a map showing where all the books are located is provided to customers.
Most books sell for anywhere from 50 cents to $3. There are some rare books that cost a bit more and they're generally kept separate from the rest.
Evelyn Dodds, chair of the used book sale committee, said most people who come to the sale early usually leave with several buggies and boxes stuffed full of reading material.
The event began 13 years ago when Elaine Norris and the Women's Committee of the Mississauga Symphony decided to raise money for the volunteer orchestra by selling a few used books they had lying around. The first sale went so swimmingly, the event continued year after year and forced the organizers to expand into its present shopping mall site.
More than 30 volunteers, mostly retirees, work almost year-round to ensure it goes off without a hitch. That number will swell by another 150 at the actual event.
The sales starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday and runs until Sunday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m.
For more information, call 647-866-7253 or visit www.mississaugasymphony.com.
cclay@mississauga.net
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