The Weyburn Public Library has set a fundraising record at the Fall Book Sale and Silent Auction of donated Art and Christmas items.
The books and other media materials alone brought in $4,536.65.
"The art auction was listed at $1,250, but people have been rounding up, so we're actually closer to $1,300 for the auction right now," Branch Manager Dawn Silver said, noting that if someone's item came in at $40, when they pick it up they're giving $50. "The donations we got were extraordinarily good this year."
At about $600 more than the spring book sale and auction garnered, the total overall from last week's event is $5,786.65, and Silver's excitement about the fundraiser matched the public's on that first day of the sale.
"The book sale was fantastic. People get really excited and we have lineups on the very first day. That first day is just lickety split and it's so much. It's really impressive. Of course we did our usual $5 a bag, $10 a box on Saturday, so people were really making out very well. It was terrific."
Having worked at libraries across Canada, she said she has never seen anything like the generosity she's seen here in Weyburn.
"The usual take from a book sale is, if you're very lucky, you know, $1,500 to $2,000, so head and shoulders above anywhere else."
The funds go toward ensuring another reputation of Weyburn's is upheld - exceptional free library programming.
"These two fundraisers, one in the spring and one in the fall, really allow us to provide all the extra programming that we do. It pays for the ingredients for the cooking classes, it allows the buttons to be made at the lunch hours at that schools, all of that great stuff. We're trying to be as cost effective as we can, and being able to kick in some funding for these projects really shows our engagement and our responsibility. The City of Weyburn is very generous, they give us the base funding that allows us to do all our work."
As for amazing finds at the book sale and auction, Silver shared, "We had someone find a cookbook from their community that they originated from, and she just couldn't quit talking about it. She was so thrilled, as hers was in the process of falling apart, literally to pieces, and this one was in extremely good shape."
"There's great stories that come out of this book sale every single time."
"We had people running out of here with motorcycling and bicycling magazines, chortling like maniacs, they were so happy to get them."
She said the auction also saw some hot and heavy bidding wars, including for a My Little Crocheted Pony.
"A little flocked Christmas tree that lit up, that sparked another one," she shared. "It was really quite fun. People really got into the spirit with it."
"The ongoing support that comes from the community for people contributing to our auction and book sale and then coming in and supporting us by buying more things back, different things, new to them, is really amazing,' she expressed. "It was impressive. The generosity of this community continues to thrill me. Truthfully, it does. It really, really does."
Silver added the leftovers from the sale found homes as well, between the Little Library at Don Mitchell Tot Lot, Blue Earth for their CMHA fundraiser book sale held during Mental Health Week, and a school teacher.