UNIVERSITY PARK — Like a child on opening day of the town pool, book lovers and collectors had a hard time not running as they entered a room filled with 200,000 books on Saturday at the 48th annual AAUW State College branch book sale.
CDT/Melissa Doss
New Brighton, Pa., residents Renee Petrucci, 16, left, and sister Melanie Petrucci, 20, browse the fiction titles in the Snider Agricultural Arena at Penn State for the opening day of the 48th Annual AAUW State College Branch Book Sale on Saturday, May 9, 2009. The money raised during the four-day sale will help fund AAUW programs, and features 200,000 books in 26 categories. Last year 9,000 book buyers contributed over $128,000. CDT/Melissa Doss
Nineteen minutes after the doors had opened at 9 a.m. at the Snider Agricultural Arena at Penn State there were 625 customers lining the tables, throwing books into satchels and grazing for favorite authors.
Surprisingly, it was an orderly entrance with volunteers giving directions and reminding patrons never to shove or run.
Some serious collectors had put boxes near the front doors a week ago as a placeholder so they could be near the head of the line. The four-day sale runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Tuesday, and while it is free and open to the public, volunteers handed out numbered tickets starting at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday for those wanting to get first crack at the 250 tables of books.
Brenda Houndeshell arrived at the arena with her son, Jessie Bordas, 10, at 2 a.m. on Saturday. A former book dealer, she said she buys mostly for herself but comes early out of habit.
She shoveled books into a bag and enlisted her son’s arms to help carry finds from the collectors table.
“You pick up whatever strikes your fancy,” she explained. “You have to be quick.”
Brenda Geary-Bucek, of Potters Mills, and her son Nathaniel, 11, planned to take a more measured approach.
Mom, who is a a Civil War re-enactor, planned to look for material that included patterns for dresses from that time period, while her son planned to find some new Hardy Boys books.
His first time to the sale, Nathaniel marveled at the amount of people and decided, “It seems kind of crazy to me.”
Judi Anthony and Robin Myers, friends from Brookville, found out about the sale Friday night while reading the Centre Daily Times online. They left early and drove 80 miles to get in line about a half-hour before the doors opened, armed with big duffel bags on wheels and a plan to “buy lots of books, mysteries and romance.”
Carol Bowles, who traveled from Kentucky to visit her sister in Boalsburg, said she timed the trip around the book sale so she could attend for the first time.
“This is unreal,” she said. “This is the biggest book sale I’ve ever been to.”
She snagged a 1927 edition of J.M. Barrie’s “Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens” from the rare collectors room.
“It’s got wonderful illustrations,” she said as she carefully paged through the tome before politely asking if she could continue with her shopping.
The sale netted a record breaking $129,000 for the local AAUW chapter last year, and co-chairwoman Suzanne Kerlin said they would love to raise the same amount this year.
The group gives college scholarships to local women, and helps local nonprofit organizations buy educational materials for programs that serve women, as well as supporting local libraries.
Requests from women and non-profits for those grants have increased this year, Kerlin said, so all the money raised will be put to good use.
Jessica Smith, a State College resident who went home with 50 books at last year’s sale, said she felt good about coming back this year.
“I know someone who got a scholarship from the AAUW so it makes it more meaningful,” she said. “I don’t have room right now for more books but I’ll figure that out when I get home.”
For more information, visit www.aauwstatecollege.org.
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