Big Book Sale brings books, readers and Idahoans to Regina

Thousands of people will file through The Big Book Sale over the next three days, threading around tables piled high and searching through stacks for this or that.

But it’s likely most of them haven’t travelled as far as Linda Kristiansen has.

Kristiansen and her partner came to Regina for the sale from North Idaho, about 1,350 kilometres on the highway.

“We kind of made it into our little Canadian vacation too,” Kristiansen said Thursday.

This is what they do: Find book sales and then go off on a trip. And this time they found the one in Regina.

“We were just, I think, Googling larger towns in Canada because we wanted to drive up here,” Kristiansen said. “From North Idaho it’s pretty easy to get across the border and it’s so beautiful.”

Kristiansen said nearly every town has some sort of sale, whether it’s through a library or through a charity.

She said the pair had been to a couple other sales in Canada, visiting Vancouver and Victoria. This is the first time for them in Regina.

“We love Canada,” she said. “We come up any chance we get.”

Kristiansen was one of three people sitting in lawn chairs, surrounded by small empty boxes at the very front of the small line that had formed by 8:45 a.m. The book sale didn’t start until 11 a.m.

“When we went to the book sale in Victoria, we came right at opening time and the line was very, very long and it took us three hours to get in, even after the sale had opened because they only let in people a little at a time,” explained Kristiansen.

“That was at the Victoria Curling Club, so we thought (this) might be a similar situation. But then when we got here today there was no one in the parking lot, it was just us.”

She said when they search through sales, they’re looking for things like local histories, academic books, or books about art, history or religion. She explained they want things that weren’t published in big batches, meaning books that are a little more rare. They don’t keep a list, though.

“It’s just in here,” she said motioning to her head. “We kind of recognize it when we see it.”

The Big Book Sale covers the entire ice surface of the Highland Curling Club this year. Tens of thousands of items were donated by people for the sale. The sale runs Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The sale is run by the Seniors’ University Group, and the money raised supports the cost of non-credit courses and activities for older adults.

Some money is also donated to the university. In 2018, $25,000 was donated to the College Avenue Campus Renewal Project, where the Lifelong Learning Centre is located.