Spencertown festival speaks volumes to the allure of books | Berkshire Eagle

Every summer for the past 14 years, the Spencertown Academy Arts Center has been transformed into a mecca of new and gently used books by Haven Orecchio, Reporter at The Berkshire Eagle

The annual Festival of Books at the Spencertown Academy Arts Center in Spencertown, N.Y., not only offers books for sale, but includes children's programming, as well as lectures and readings by local and nationally known authors.
Photo: STEPHANIE ZOLLSHAN - THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Beginning in July, nearly 100 volunteers comb through stacks of thousands of donated books in preparation for the annual Festival of Books, a three-day, open-to-the-public event held over Labor Day weekend.

"We must have 15,000 books or more," the fair's co-chair, Jill Kalotay, said Saturday, while dozens of people browsed for books. "People just get hooked."

About 2,000 visitors descend on the fair each year, with the event raising more than $25,000 toward operating expenses for the Spencertown Academy, an arts center in a former schoolhouse.

The festival includes the sale of books, children's programming, as well as lectures and readings by local and nationally known authors...

On Saturday, volunteers worked to restock the shelves every 15 minutes.

"I head straight to the rare and unusual books," said Lydia Davis, a writer from East Nassau, N.Y. 
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Source: Berkshire Eagle