The annual Rotary charity book fair at the Te Rapa Racecourse, originally scheduled for 7-9 May 2020, has been tentatively rescheduled - subject to COVID-19 alert levels - to 25-27 September. In addition a series of smaller "pop-up" sales is being organized, with the first one planned for Sunday 6 September and featuring jigsaw puzzles. Later in the year, we will also run pop-up book sales at Raglan Roast (Brown Bros) in Te Rapa.
Planning is actively under way for Bookfair 202020. As the fair can only operate under Alert Level 1 or below, our new scheduled dates of 25-27 September must be considered provisional. In the event the full fair cannot be heldf in this calendar year, we will expand the programme of pop-up sales which can be held on a smaller scale and for smaller audiences.
So far, about 35,000 items have been screened, sorted and packed away for the fair. We have kept the quality high. Fiction is sorted by author, and fewer items are being classed as collectible, meaning more bargains and even better value for money. We continue to accept donations of books, magazines, records, CDs, DVDs, games and jigsaw puzzles. These can be dropped off at any of the following depots:
- Caltex Chartwell, cnr Comries Rd and Lyndon Court, Chartwell
- Glenview Automotive, 49 Lewis St, Glenview
- Magic Fresh, Dinsdale
- Jim Wright Nissan, Te Rapa
- New World Rototuna
Other drop-off points will be added as they are confirmed. For larger lots, it may be possible for us to collect from your home - please call us on 028-4179040 to discuss.
We have also begun selling selected items on online via TradeMe. In general, these are items of specialist or regional interest, priced at $15 or more, generally at about half the cheapest price we can find online.
Our first pop-up sale will be held on Sunday 6 September at 25 Ellis Street, Frankton. Yes, OK, we know it's Father's Day, we also know it's likely to be wet. But hey, what better way to spend a wet Sunday than picking up a few cheap jigsaws to keep you occupied the next time we go into lockdown? $4 for a 1000-piece puzzle, $6 for a 2000+ pieces and $8 for a WASGIJ. Cheap as.
We would welcome assistance from people interested in helping us sort and check donations to the book fair on a regular basis. There is a lot to learn for this process to run efficiently, therefore potential Friends of Rotary will be asked to make a regular weekly commitment. Only a couple of hours each week, but it needs to be most weeks, and all year except for December and January. If you are interested in becoming a Friend of Rotary to help with the book fair, please get in touch with us. Better still, join Rotary.
The Rotary book fair is the largest book fair in the Waikato, and it generates many thousands of dollars that go towards community projects and causes. It is a Waikato icon. We are grateful to the thousands of people who donate books, help with the fair, and buy books. We're in this together.