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The season of giving is in the air, especially for a small group of local book lovers who are once again transforming Glenwood Springs into a treasure trover for readers of all ages. Their mission is simple — to spread the joy of reading through the Annual Free-For-All Book Fair.
For the past four months, the volunteer-run group has spent countless hours gathering community donations of gently used and new books, as well as raising funds for additional purchases, in order to offer thousands of Spanish and English books for babies, children, teens and adults — all for free.
“My favorite part of last year was the magical element of the event — people would come in and they simply could not believe that they could fill up a bag with books and take them home for free,” Free-For-All Book Fair Board Member Caitlin Causey said. “…There were children who had little backpacks and who were putting as many books as they wanted into their backpacks, and we had teens coming in who were finding all sorts of different things to take home.
“It feels like a feast or a banquet of knowledge and imagination,” she added.
Volunteers are now preparing to move roughly 10,000 books — a significant increase from last year’s 7,000 — at the upcoming fair on Saturday, Dec. 13.
“We feel like reading is almost an antidote to the busyness of modern life and the pull that our phones have over us, the 24 hour news cycle and the woes of the world,” Causey said. “Reading can be something to soothe that and to expand our minds and our hearts in a slow and satisfying way.”
This year’s success is due largely to an outpouring of community support from both businesses and local residents. The Two Rivers Community Foundation, serving as the fair’s physical sponsor, oversaw donated funds. Several business sponsors — including Garfield County Libraries, Scholastic and local bookstores Alpenglow Books and Gifts and White River Books — also helped bring the event to life.
Gould Construction, owner of Royal Mini Storage, even donated a storage shed for the growing collection of books.
Local pediatrician Becca Percy and New Castle teacher Shelby Williams first brainstormed the idea for the inaugural 2023 fair as a way to increase access to at-home reading material for local families. Now supported by board members Causey, Percy, Brynne Gordon and Karen Urnise, the fair has grown into a beloved community event that moves thousands of books into homes across the county.
For Causey, her commitment to the fair is fueled by a lifelong love of reading — a passion that has helped her cope with the dizzying pace of modern life.
“Reading calms my mind, but it also opens my mind to new ideas, new ways of life, new ways of thinking, new ways of processing the world,” Causey said. “Over the years, I’ve cultivated a practice of reading, meaning that I find time pretty much every day to read, even if it’s just for 15 minutes.
“The constant of having a book — any kind of book— in my life almost every day has been a really steadying force for me in my life,” she added.
This year’s fair will not only feature thousands of free books, but also hourly story times, booths from local nonprofits such as Raising A Reader Aspen to Parachute and FocusedKids and even visits from some fuzzy friends from Paws to Read.
So grab a bag and head to Glenwood Springs for an afternoon of feasting on books and a reminder of the power of a literature-loving community.
“It’s just so encouraging to see that people still love to read, love books, love knowledge and love coming together to celebrate literacy in our community,” Causey said. “Engaging with our reading lives together is really, really special and really magical.”
