Organizers preparing for annual book riot
New location.
New dates.
But organizers of the annual Book Riot in Niagara Falls hope this year’s edition will be as popular as ever.
The event in support of Women’s Place of South Niagara will be held June 6 to 10 at Gale Centre.
In past years, the event was held during Mother’s Day weekend and at different locations, the last of which was a space at Niagara Square.
“It’s usually Mother’s Day weekend, for 40 years it has been, so this is a big change,” said Amanda Braet, development director for Women’s Place.
“I know it’s been a part of people’s traditions for years, too, so I’m hoping that they will adjust with us. It’s a great sale, still.”
Organizers were accepting donations of books, games, puzzles, DVDs, video games, CDs and vinyls from July 4 until this past Friday.
“The volume of books is much more than last year and not only that, but the quality of books is much greater than years before, so we’re really pleased to share with the public what we have,” said Braet.
“We’ll have at least 150 tables spread out in the space, filled with books. There’s going to be something there for everyone. Nobody is going to show up and be disappointed and leave with nothing, I guarantee that.”
Every year, hundreds of volunteers help put the event together.
Braet said volunteers are still needed.
“This event relies heavily on volunteers and in fact I would say we have the most amazing volunteers who work all-year round sorting them in advance, but even still, setting up for the event requires a lot of volunteers,” she said.
“We’re thankful for the help from the Niagara Falls firefighters who help us move them from the storage units to the venue, and I also want to make sure we have a huge thank you to the City of Niagara Falls for donating the venue space this year. It’s definitely tricky finding space this big. We found a really great home.”
Braet said people who want to volunteer can contact Jennifer McQuestion, community engagement manager for Women’s Place, by calling 905-356-3933 ext. 239 or by emailing jmcquestion@wpsn.ca.
Braet said the reason the book riot has been pushed back this year is because organizers have to wait until city officials remove one pad of ice from the Gale Centre.
“We don’t want to be a hindrance at all. We’re so thankful,” she said.
Braet said the event raised more than $60,000 last year.
“It is our largest fundraiser. We generally have over 4,000 people come to this event and they come from all over, which is amazing,” she said.
“We depend heavily on the revenue from this event.”
Braet said the money raised supports the agency’s two shelters — Nova House in Niagara Falls and Serenity Place in Welland, which provide safe, emergency shelter for victims of violence in the Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Welland, Port Colborne, Pelham, Fonthill, Dunville and Smithville areas.
This year’s book riot kicks off with a June 6 pre-sale ($10 entry fee) from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Regular sale days with no entry fee will be June 7 and 8 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and June 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
June 10 will feature a bag sale, when visitors can fill a bag for $5.