WESTFIELD-Fifty-one portraits of women in risqué clothing grace the inside of a handmade tool chest – circa early 1900’s – that will be among the unique finds at the Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum’s annual spring book sale next week.
“We have a special donation from a longtime member of the Friends group,” said Robert Hullivan, who is serving as floor manager of the popular fundraiser. “The donor is also contributing possibly valuable bottles she found as a teen growing up in the hilltowns.”
A tool chest with a unique feature will be up for bid at the annual Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum book sale.
Hullivan noted that because of the uniqueness of the tool chest, a special bidding process will begin during the Friends and Educators preview night on Wednesday, April 25 and the top bid will be announced at the close of the book sale on Saturday, April 28 at 2 p.m.
“The donor treasures the Westfield Athenaeum and wanted to help raise extra funds for the Friends group by passing on the heirloom to someone who too can appreciate its uniqueness,” said Hullivan.
Book sale hours are 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday for members of the Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum who have current paid memberships and all educators. Membership forms will be available at the door for those wishing to join the Friends on preview night. Educators are asked to bring proof of their education status. Sale hours continue on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and wrap up on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A close up of some of the models posing, circa early 1900’s.
It’s also not too late to drop off book donations for all ages, records, CD’s and DVD’s for next week’s sale during library hours, noted Hullivan, adding they are not accepting magazines, Readers Digest condensed books, text books or encyclopedias.
“We expect to have 40 tables in the Lang Auditorium filled with almost 10,000 books for all ages,” said Hullivan, who has been meticulously organizing donations along with several other volunteers.
“We especially have a large amount of contemporary novels,” he added.
Hullivan noted that the Friends group owes a “huge debt” for the First Congregational Church storage space for the past two years while the Athenaeum has been undergoing a major renovation.
“We are very grateful that we also had use of several rooms to highlight all of our donations during our sales,” said Hullivan.
In addition to the books, Hullivan said that attendees can expect to find a variety of toys for children, including vintage dolls, a rocking horse and tricycles.
Since its inception in 1996, the Friends group has raised funds to support programs including the Museum Pass Program, the First Thursday Concert Series, books for boys and girls reading clubs, computers and new technologies.
For more information on the Friends group, send an email to [email protected] or visit its Facebook page.
