The Alexandra Rotary Club is searching for a large, weather-proof space for about two months to spread out and sort the thousands of books donated for their annual book sale, which traditionally starts on New Year’s Day.
Spokesman Hugh McIntyre said the commercial shed they had been using for the past seven or eight years was no longer available to them.
Storage for boxes of books already donated was available but it was nowhere near big enough to put the books into categories ready for the sale.
Labour Weekend is when they usually start putting donations into the huge wooden crates they use each year.
They were then taken to Alexandra Memorial Hall, where the sale was held, making setting out the sale a straight-forward operation, Mr McIntyre said.
Advertising for donations usually started at the same time but, until they found a sorting space, that was on hold and it was possible the sale would not go ahead.
The event, which had been running for more than 35 years, drew huge crowds of local people and holiday makers alike, with many people saying it was an important part of their Central Otago summer.
Rotary member Mark Willyams said it was the perfect holiday event.
"If it’s hot, it’s cool inside; if it’s raining it’s dry."
As well as entertaining holiday-makers, the sale had a serious side with more than $31,000 raised last year which, aside from $5000 for the Otago Helicopter Rescue Trust, was given away in Alexandra.
- The Rotary book sale committee are after a weather-proof area, with a concrete floor, at least 250 sq m in size, from Labour weekend until December 31. Anyone with a suitable space could contact Mr McIntyre on 0274 341-284 or Mr Willyams on 0273 552-608
