Leafing through deals at Douglas Library

NORTH CANAAN — The Friends of the Library in North Canaan held its yearly plant sale at the Douglas Library on Main Street Saturday, May 17.

A $5 a bag book sale was also held in the upstairs rooms of the library, which had many enticing titles for both adults and children.

Librarian Norma DeMay said of the plant sale, “It’s been going on for fifteen to twenty years.” The plants made a colorful display outside the library’s front door.

Eileen Fox, president of the Friends of the Library, explained, “We get plants from Freund’s Farm Market and Housatonic Valley Regional High School.”

The Vo-Ag department of Housatonic Valley Regional High School brought geraniums, while Freund’s brought hanging baskets and a variety of vegetable plants.

Bunny McGuire, a member of the Friends of the Library and chair of the library’s board added, “Other plants and flowers are donated by volunteers and friends.”

The plant sale was bustling.

Linda Twordusky was upstairs minding the book sales and providing bags to book browsers. “It’s a great way to clear out books and make room for new arrivals.”

She was also busy, saying there had been “quite a few people up,” and that the books are “always five dollars a bag.”The sale is on whenever the library is open.

One browser commented that he “goes around to seven states to used book sales.”He gets them “Just to read. If I don’t like them, I donate them to a church.” He said he currently has 3,000 mysteries and 1,500 old novels at his house.

Book browsers happily found old favorites or “new” books to read and filled their bags.

Back at the busy plant sale, Bunny McGuire reminisced about her father bringing her to the library every week in the summer to fill a bag with books to read.

“I love libraries,” McGuire said.

Proceeds from the sales benefit the library.