If spring-cleaning has extended as far as your bookshelf, this weekend offers a great chance to get rid of those dusty volumes you’ve already read and replace them with some new material. The Whose Travel Annual Charity Book Exchange, which takes place tomorrow in Taichung, is now in its eighth year and has grown into a mini-festival.
The event is moving from its usual location at the Frog restaurant and bar, to the greener pastures of Chungming Park (忠明公園).
“It is a beautiful park surrounded by trees and it has a nice stage for the bands,” said one of the organizers, Patrick Byrne. “The turnout last year was incredible. We decided to move the event to … accommodate more people.”
Photo Courtesy of Henry Westheim
Dale Mackie, ward of the Canadian Trade Office in Taichung, came up with the idea of a charity book sale to raise funds for victims of the 2004 tsunami. He joined forces with Byrne, a Taichung-based musician and promoter, to make the event something more.
There will be two stages, one for live music, the other for children’s entertainment, including a ventriloquist act by entertainer Matt Bronsil, and an interactive kid’s show by members of Taichung Improv group.
“We will adapt our usual improv games to entertain the little ones,” said Josh Myers, the troupe’s founder. “We did it last year and it was a big hit.”
Musicians have donated their time and talents to the event, with bands playing from 2:30pm to 9pm. The lineup includes Nick Fothergill, The Ever So Friendlies, Reid and headliner Three Day Bender.
Food booths will be set up by the Frog, Londoner, Soho7 and Nunchuck, and there will be arts and crafts activities, and hundreds of books in both English and Chinese.
Throughout the day, raffle draws will be held. Prizes include a weekend getaway, an alto saxophone, three one-year memberships to World Gym, chiropractic sessions, yoga lessons, a dive session on Green Island, a month’s tuition at Best Language Center, and meals at various Taichung restaurants, not forgetting a six-pack of beer.
Though a book drive has been ongoing, people are welcome to drop off books on the day of the event, where they will be sold for a minimum donation of NT$50, with hardcover and art books priced higher.
This year, proceeds from the event will go to the Maria Social Welfare Foundation (瑪利亞社會福利基金會), which supports orphans and children and young adults living with disabilities.
Last year’s book exchange raised almost NT$170,500 for the Childhood Burn Foundation of the ROC (中華民國兒童燙傷基金會).
“It would be great for us to achieve the goal of raising NT200,000 this year for the Maria Foundation,” said Byrne. “The highlight for me is seeing so many people come out to support charity while having a great time.”
On the Net: www.maria.org.tw
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