AROUND THE PARK AGAIN By Sharon Lee Tegler
By midmorning of November 4th, opening day for the America Association of University Women’s Fall Book Sale at Festival at Pasadena, a section of history books on a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit against one wall was entirely sold out. But the expansive General Fiction Novels section appealed to customer Tunisha Drummond and she spent considerable time browsing there.
“I just found out about the AAUW sale and drove down here from work,” Drummond said. “I really enjoy reading thrillers and general fiction and I needed something new to read.”
She found plenty to interest her as the Mystery and Thriller sections were huge, starting in one aisle and extending all the way down the next.
Drummond wasn’t the only booklover happy to discover the return of the AAUW’s book sale after being cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic. An intensive effort to relaunch the annual event began in July with members of AAUW’s Anne Arundel branch participating in the Severna Park Independence Day Parade.
The women circulated among spectators to share dates and locations for their customary used book collections. Book donations at sites including St Martins-in-the Field, the Anne Arundel Community College parking lot, and St Phillips Episcopal Church in August, September and October brought in enough volumes for a good-sized sale.
Once again donated a storefront for the sale at Festival at Pasadena, the members chose November 4 thru 7 for their free-to-the-public sale. As is customary, AAUW invited used book dealers from Baltimore, Pennsylvania, Virginia and other states to a “pre-sale” from 8 to 10 am on November 4 for a $20 entrance fee. The dealers arrived on schedule, some wheeling wagons to hold their purchases.
At 10 am the sale was officially opened to the general public and sales were brisk, only tapering off toward closing time at 7 pm. Many shoppers that first day were AAUW Book Sale fans.
Enjoying a leisurely browse through the Children’s section were Sabrina and Nathaniel Gruzzinski and their daughter Adeline who will be three years old in January. Singing her own cheerful version of “The ABC Song”, Adeline slid gracefully to the floor before opening her new storybook.
“We love to read so we’ve started Adeline early,” Sabrina said.
The Gruzzinski’s aren’t new to the AAUW Fall Book Sales. They used to live near Festival at Pasadena and discovered the book sale one year. They’ve come back for every fall book sale since.
Prices are so reasonable that the book sale is particularly popular with pre-school and elementary school teachers looking for books to share with their students. They generally like to shop early – on opening day or Friday – before the weekend which is busier.
According to member Barbara Marder and Alice Harrison who is co-president of AAUW with Debbie Chessin, the prices are reasonable but bring in a good deal of money.
In fact, it’s the organization’s biggest fundraiser. Proceeds from the sale fund scholarships for girls and women who are Anne Arundel Community College grads transferring to a university and for the Women to Women program for individuals returning to the workplace or opening businesses and needing further education.
This year’s book donation days brought in an abundance of titles for every conceivable category which were stored in donated spaces until time for the sale. It took almost a week for member volunteers to transport the books from storage to the storefront and assemble the collection in pre-determined and properly marked sections.
Harrison noted that they did really well with the opening morning’s pre-sale session attended primarily by dealers who paid the entrance fee.
“The dealers left with hundreds of volumes,” she added. “They were a pretty sophisticated bunch and most had those clickers with programs that give a ballpark estimate of what a book will sell for.”
Pointing to the empty shelves, Marder said the dealers almost decimated the history section. In addition to history books, biographies moved well.
Classics lovers Susan and Gail were seen combing through the volumes looking for “classic mysteries” by writers like Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers or P.D. James. Susan, an out-of-town visitor, was really having fun exploring the titles.
“This is a great way to stock one’s library. Then again, that could be a problem if I buy too many,” she said.
Anne Arundel County residents can easily solve the problem of too many books or prune their collections when downsizing by donating them to AAUW on book collection days. It’s a great feeling to know they are being recycled for new readers.
While shoppers were happy to see the AAUW Fall Book Sale back at Festival at Pasadena, members were even happier.
On the business end of the operation, member volunteers Roxanne King, Joyce Moyer, and Mary McGrath were checking customers out.
All were thrilled to be back and hoping sales would equal or outpace those from previous years and fund several of those much-needed scholarships. For information on the Anne Arundel County Branch of the American Association of University Women’s scholarships and other activities, visit AAUW Anne Arundel County (MD) Branch .
Severna Park High’s Falcon Drama presents Disney’s “Freaky Friday”
Falcon Drama will be “back onstage” with their presentation of Disney’s “Freaky Friday” which debuts Friday, November 12 at 7 pm in the Severna Park High School auditorium. The 7pm performances will continue on November 13 and 14 and again on November 19 and 20. There will also be a 3 pm performance on November 14.
The madcap musical comedy explores what happens when a mother and her teenaged daughter magically switch bodies.
According to Falcon Drama Boosters’ Elaine Bachmann, the student actors are very excited to be back onstage.
“Like all students who have endured the restrictions and limitations of the past two years, theatre kids have tried to make the best of it with virtual shows, and staying connected through socially distant ‘performances’. But it has taken a toll,” she said. “Keeping students interested in theatre has been a challenge. We really hope this show will be a catalyst for returning the excitement and attracting kids back to the stage. It will be a prelude to what we HOPE will be a ‘normal’ Rock n Roll Revival in the Spring.”
Tickets are $15 and may be ordered online at FALL PRODUCTION | Falcon Drama (sphsdrama.com) .
Chamber’s Holiday Taste & Sip at Chartwell December 9th
The Greater Severna Park and Arnold Chamber of Commerce’s glamorous Taste & Sip holiday event will be held at Chartwell Golf and Country Club on December 9 from 6 to 9 pm. There will be 26 vendors offering samples of their finest dishes. Delightful entertainment too. Tickets are going fast and may be obtained at Holiday Taste and Sip 11th Anniversary Celebration (gspacc.com) .
Save the date for the Severna Park Farmer’s Market “Christmas Market”
We’ll have more later but here is a quick reminder to save the date of Saturday, December 11, for a visit to the Severna Park Farmer’s Market’s annual “Christmas Market”. Always a festive occasion, the Christmas Market opens at 8 am with a full complement of vendors. There will be evergreens, seasonal foods, spirits and lots of gift items. Keep tabs on which vendors will be there by visiting Severna Park Farmer’s Market | Facebook.
