web1_TTL061519CoalStreet1.jpg

Volunteers transforming Coal Street baseball diamond into home base for football

web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-.jpg

Beyond the Byline: Remembering special times with dad

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8211; Book lovers of all ages flocked to the Osterhout Free Library on Saturday.</p><p>Library cards were not required, however, to leave with a treasure trove of reading material.</p><p>In fact, visitors didn&#8217;t even have to enter the library to find their favorite books as the 43rd annual Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale got underway with a host of books available outdoors under a large white tent.</p><p>&#8220;I couldn&#8217;t even estimate,&#8221; the sale&#8217;s co-chairman, Diane Krokos, said when asked how many books are available. &#8220;If you have ever seen the basement (of the library) where we sort books &#8230; we call it the dungeon.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s packed with boxes and boxes of books. There&#8217;s no way we can estimate.&#8221;</p><p>Friends of the Osterhout Library was formed in 1972 to help restore the library after the Agnes Flood. It eventually decided on holding an annual book sale as its premiere fundraiser to aid the library.</p><p>Krokos&#8217; co-chair for the annual, Irene Martin, told a a meeting of the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association last week that it takes more than 1,200 man hours to pull off the event.</p><p>The books sell for $1 for paperbacks and $3 for hardcovers, and the tent was teeming with customers carrying book-filled baskets.</p><p>And just as with the books in the library, readers have plenty from which to choose.</p><p>&#8221;We have a wonderful selection, and we keep bringing up new books (out) as people are buying.&#8221; Krokos said. &#8220;We also have a large selection of children books this year, more than we ever had.</p><p>&#8220;And we have new books.&#8221;</p><p>Last year, the event raised $26,000, and Krokos said this year&#8217;s goal is to top that number. The event seemed to be well on its way to meeting that goal with more than 450 people going passing through the tent in the first few hours of the sale, according to Krokos.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a really good start,&#8221; Krokos said. &#8220;We are very happy with the turnout.&#8221;</p><p>Carin Pientka, of Wilkes-Barre, was one of those browsing through the books Saturday, looking for a deal or two.</p><p>&#8220;I like mystery, sci-fi. Children&#8217;s books for my grandkids I got,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Shoppers such as Pientka give the library one extra benefit of which the organizers may not be aware.</p><p>&#8220;After I read them, I pile them all back up and bring them back,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I donate them.&#8221;</p><p>The sale runs through Saturday, June 22. After that, readers can find books for sale in the Friends of the Osterhout Book Shop on the third floor of the library. </p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_20190615_122248.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Customers look over books at the Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale on Saturday in Wilkes-Barre. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_20190615_122248.jpg</photo0><caption0>Customers look over books at the Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale on Saturday in Wilkes-Barre. </caption0><photoCredit0>Joe Soprano | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_20190615_122241.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A woman checks out a table of books at the Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale on Saturday. The sale runs through June 22. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_20190615_122241.jpg</photo1><caption1>A woman checks out a table of books at the Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale on Saturday. The sale runs through June 22. </caption1><photoCredit1>Joe Soprano | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_TTL061519BookSale1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kim Hein, development assistant at the Osterhout Library is seen preparing on Friday for the annual book sale, which kicked off Saturday and runs from Monday through next Saturday. This year an anonymous donor donated many new books for the sale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_TTL061519BookSale1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kim Hein, development assistant at the Osterhout Library is seen preparing on Friday for the annual book sale, which kicked off Saturday and runs from Monday through next Saturday. This year an anonymous donor donated many new books for the sale. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Soprano</p><p>jsoprano@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Friends of the Osterhout Library Book Sale</p><p>Monday &#8211; 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.</p><p>Tuesday - 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.</p><p>Wednesday - 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.</p><p>Thursday - 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.</p><p>Friday - 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.</p><p>Saturday - 9:30 a.m. - Noon</p></factboxMeta></div>

Osterhout kicks off annual book sale