An old folk song by Arlo Guthrie once proclaimed, “You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant.” While you might not be able to get anything you want at this year’s Secaucus Public Library mini-fair in Buchmuller Park on Sept. 21, you’ll be able to get a lot more than you could in the past.
In anticipation of the library’s moving to its newly constructed building at 1379 Paterson Plank Road, Library Director Katherine Steffens has authorized the sale of many items that will not be needed in the new facility.
According to Steffens, the library trustees have decided to sell a number of desks, chairs, bookshelves and other furnishings from the library building that will not be needed in the new state-of-the-art facility.
“As part of the Friends of the Library’s Fifth annual Friends in the Park Mini-Fair and Book Sale, we will be holding a cash and carry sale of furnishings and miscellaneous items we won’t need at the new facility,” Steffens said. “There’s just one catch: buyers cannot carry the merchandise [away] until we actually move to the new building. All items will be priced and sold ‘as is’ while the mini-fair and book sale is going on outside.”
Like a scene out of last year’s Fellowship of the Ring, in which the main character is selling the goods to his home, price tags will be put onto those items the library wishes to sell. This will include some items currently held in storage such as filing cabinets and such. People purchasing the items can come collect their purchase after the library makes its move in October.
Steffens said the Friends of the Library will be selling the furniture from the library and the cash will go into the library’s accounts to be used for various needs in the future.
The items will include tables, and chairs, but no computers. You might be able, however, to pick up a bargain on tables the library has used as computer tables. Some of the filing cabinets may need a little work, Steffens noted.
Lots of stuff to see at the mini-fair
Friends President Josephine DeGennaro said the fair itself would offer numerous items to people of all age, not just books.
“In addition to children’s craft tables, face painting, roaming storybook characters and storytellers, the Secaucus Office of Emergency Management will have its emergency command center vehicle on display,” DeGennaro said. “One of the mini-fair’s highlights – the distribution of free children’s books – will again take place, courtesy of the [Secaucus] Kiwanis organization and the Police Benevolent Association.”
The fair will also feature raffles, book vendors and other interesting things, DeGennaro noted, throwing in a sales pitch for renewing annual membership in the Friends.
In encouraging the public to attend the event, Marie Westphal, Friends recording secretary and chairperson of the fair, said: “The library is the hub of community activities and a great place to meet everybody. The mini-fair draws young and old a like as well as many former residents.”
Don’t forget the baking contest
While vendors and other groups hold book sales in Buchmuller Park just outside the old library building, inside, Friends will be holding a baking contest and the sale of furniture.
Eleanore Reinl and Ann Ross, first and second vice presidents of the Friends, will chair the annual cake baking contest.
“All entries must be inside the library building for judging no later than 9 a.m.,” Ross said. “Once the judging is over, the baked goods will be sold by the piece inside the library along with coffee and tea.”
Ross said each year the entries get more ambitious and delicious. The categories for the baking contest are: cheesecakes, pies, iced cakes, loaf cakes, cookies/bars and miscellaneous (which includes crumb cakes, cupcakes and other varieties of baked goods).
“Each person submitting an entry in the cake baking contest must tape his or her name and phone number to the bottom of the cake plate,” Reinl said. “This not only insures the contestants remain anonymous, bit also insures that the plates are returned to their owners.”
This year, the fair will have a special nostalgic air, since those coming to the existing library may be seeing it for the last time as functioning in that role. People may want to tour the building that has served the town since 1956.
The town has not yet decided what will become of the facility.
“This may be the last opportunity some people will have to see the old library,” Steffens said.