The Friends of the Guilford Free Library (FOGFL) will be holding its annual Holiday Book Sale on Friday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is touted as a great way to pick up new reads or to leave behind crowded stores and supply chain issues and get some local holiday shopping done.

The sale will offer a large selection for readers of all ages and is the perfect opportunity to give the gift of books, according to the library. Everything is in pristine condition and priced low and all sales support the library too.

“Everything is priced to lighten your heart and not your pocketbook,” said Library Director Robert McCoole.

McCoole said the theme of the sale this year is “Give the Gift of Books.”

“For children, there will be holiday-themed books, hardcover picture books, and classics. For adults, there will be fiction and nonfiction, as well as cookbooks, novels, books on travel, history, art, nature, sports, and gardening. Stocking stuffers will include small books, puzzles, games, handmade journals, and gifts for young and old,” McCoole said. “The friends have sorted through the thousands of donated books and other items and culled things in perfect, brand-new condition, suitable to be given as gifts.”

This is the sixth annual Holiday Sale, according to McCoole and the event is one of FOGFL’s major fundraisers, which is the main fundraising organization for the library and a critical support group for program funding. The library’s yearly events are critical to the institution’s ability to buy books, equipment, fund staff development, and also to sponsor the many programs the Guilford Free Library offers residents, said McCoole.

FOGFL member and chair of this year’s sale Linda Carlone, said the event is an important community event for everyone.

“We just love the library and are so happy to be having the holiday sale this year. We want to help with all of their outstanding programming and activities, we are so excited to be a part of it,” Carlone said. “Personally, I am so impressed by the sheer number and variety of offerings from the library. There’s music, the environment, technology. The professional staff is just incredible there. We are going to have some gorgeous vintage books available—they may be used but they are excellent in quality; some are even still shrink wrapped. There will also be a huge selection of children’s books.”

The Adams School Camerata Singers will add to the festivities on Friday afternoon, said McCoole. Preschoolers from the Guilford Center for Children are creating holiday decorations for the library lobby as well to bring an even more festive air to this community event, said Carlone.

“We are very excited for the sale this year. There will also be other local musicians performing as well,” said Carlone. “We are all supporters of inclusiveness and the friends really take pride in being a part of what our wonderful library has to offer. We also have a new friend who will be making journals and donating them. These are handmade journals of expert quality, so people really need to come and take a look at those. This is why Guilford is such an amazing place. Such great people around and we are really looking forward to having the event again, after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic.”

The sale is a community event and shoppers are asked to bring a bag for their purchases or buy one with the FOGFL logo for $1.

For more information, contact the library at 203-453-8282 or www.guilfordfreelibrary.org. The Guilford Free Library is at 67 Park Street across from the Green.