Summer Book Sale: 40,000 Reasons to Celebrate

by Sarah Walsh, Development Director, Estes Valley Library

With some 40,000 books for sale, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

All year long, the Estes Valley Library Friends & Foundation sort and sell gently-used books—in the Library’s used book nook—and at the seasonal Holiday Book Sale. But the summer sale is our pinnacle event. This year, books, DVDs, and CDs will be sorted for easy browsing in 24 major categories, forming a shopper’s delight. It’s a grand tradition that’s only one week away: August 4 through 6.

Volunteers are now busy preparing for the sale, so we ask that you hold your book donations until after the sale.

Each day of this super-sized sale holds its own unique charm, so here’s a helpful overview.

Friday, August 4 is when it all begins. There are cookbooks, mysteries, children’s books, fiction, history, self-help, collectible books, just to name a few categories.

Friday’s sale, open from 4 pm to 8 pm, is for Friends & Foundation members only. But don’t worry—if you’re not a member, it’s easy and not expensive to join. You can purchase a membership at the door or at the Library in advance. New this year, you can join online — just look for the “Join the Friends of the Library” button within our estesvalleylibrary.org homepage events listings.

Saturday’s sale is open to all, members and non-members alike. And the hours, 9 am to 4 pm, offer lots of time to browse in a relaxed setting.

Sunday’s sale is also open to everyone. That day, from 11 am to 4 pm, you can fill an entire bag with books for just $7. To keep things fair, we provide the bags (Safeway plastic bag size), so quantities stay consistent.

Where does all this happen? A familiar place with a new name. This year’s sale is at the Estes Park Conference Center next to the Ridgeline Hotel (formerly Rocky Mountain Park Inn) at the Highway 7 & Highway 36 junction. There’s plenty of parking from the Stanley Avenue entrance.

The Summer Book Sale supports many important Library objectives. It provides critical financial assistance for the Friends & Foundation to be able to support projects like One Book One Valley and expanded access to digital collections and research databases.

The sale provides an eco-friendly path to give a second (or third or fourth) life to used books by connecting them to eager readers, which in turn supports community literacy.

Last and not least, the Book Sale is one of our most joyful traditions: a community-spirited bookfest powered by volunteerism and the spirit of discovery for all ages. In any given year, you never know what gems you’ll find.

We express gratitude to all our volunteer book sorters and book movers whose dedication make this effort a perennial success. And we thank our community for the generosity in donating so many books throughout the year.

Here’s to a delightful upcoming weekend of book sale bliss.