Thanks everyone, for all your help

To the Editor:

A huge thank you to all who helped make the 2018 Richards Free Library Festival such a success, both in raising funds for our library and in raising everyone’s spirits.

This is truly a community effort. Businesses donate to cover the costs of the tents while others offer products and services.

Library staff, trustees and Friends of the Library put up tents, signs and banners and staff the day’s events including Lunch on the Porch, children’s activities and a raffle.

Volunteers of all ages pitch in for the huge job of setting up before and cleaning up after the festival. Our high school sports teams, football, soccer, field hockey and spirit, do the literal heavy lifting while scores of folks display and box up the thousands of books we have for sale.

And then there’s the Cookie Walk, a sweet Newport tradition that brings together willing cookie bakers with enthusiastic cookie eaters that is always a sell-out and by itself raises about $1,000.

But we rely on book lovers, those who donate books all year long and those who buy books to make this the community event we all look forward to.

At the end of the day, area organizations including the Newport Food Pantry, Turning Points Network, Sunshine Diner, area teachers and the White River Junction Veterans Administration received leftover books.

We couldn’t do it without all of you. So mark your calendars for Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019.

Friends of the Richards Free Library,

Newport