Brantford Book Fair

Image courtesy storage.canoe.ca.

The rain pelted on the windshield as I made my way up the hill to Pleasant Ridge Saddlery.  Dozens of cars lined the highway.  I searched for a parking spot and not wanting to park in the road, I squeezed into a space at the Dairy Creme.  Then I made my way over to the saddle shop, converted into a book fair for four days.  I squeezed my way into the building which was wall to wall people searching through stacks and stacks of books.  These were the diehards, the people who lined up in the rain for an hour before the book fair.  Some pushed shopping carts, some lugged cardboard boxes around, others brought reusable grocery bags.  My first thought?  Reading is alive and well in Brantford.

Rob and I have been attending the Brantford Symphony Book Fair for fifteen years now.  The first year, we pushed Thomas around in his stroller.  I found a book about Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic.  One year the book fair was held in a former school where a reporter from the Expositor interviewed us and other customers.  One year, under a burning hot sun, we make our way through an old bingo hall full of books.  Last year, at an old factory, I bought a coffee book about Washington DC for my son Thomas who was heading to the capital city that summer.

This year, I made some good finds:  a D-Day book, a book about the evacuation of children from wartime London, a book about the Berlin Wall, one about a German military official involved in Hitler's assassination attempt and one called Fit to Print about a former New York Times editor.  Rob found some interesting books, too, as well as a digital Clue game for only $5.00 with the wrapping still on the box.  Most of the books were $1.00 or $2.00; some were only 50 cents.

As I drove back down the hill, I wondered where they will have the book fair next year.  It's a great tradition held for a great cause.  Until next year....

Photo courtesy www.brantnews.com.