Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Book sale raises funds for library

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Ironwood — Locals looking for some new reading material were drawn to the Ironwood Memorial Building Saturday as the Friends of the Ironwood Carnegie Library held one of its two annual book sales.

“Well it was one of our better years, there’s no doubt about that,” Friends president Marie Peterson said. “When we opened … at 7:30 this morning we probably had at least 100 people in here until 9:30-10 a.m., then it thinned out a little bit.”

The money raised from the sale funds the library’s summer programming and helps with any special projects the library may pursue. Peterson said past purchases have included tables and chairs, as well as new flooring for the library.

“Whatever comes up that the library is in need of, we help them out,” said Gayle True, another volunteer at the sale.

“We’ve also helped other libraries as well — like the Ewen library had a flood and we gave them a sizable donation,” Peterson said.

Saturday was actually the second day of the book sale, with a special preview event held Friday for members of the Friends of the Carnegie Library before the public sale the next day.

The Friends wouldn’t be able to have the sale without the support of the public.

“The community is always so supportive and willing to help us clean up and all of that,” True said.

Peterson said enough volunteers came to help this year that they probably set up in record time this year, taking an hour to get things ready instead of the normal three.

Saturday’s sale is one of two the Friends hold each year.

The group usually holds the spring sale on Mother’s Day weekend, but held off this year because of the scheduling conflict with the Red Bull 400. The group’s other sale usually takes place in October.