Book Lovers Showed Up on the Bay
Saturday, August 22nd, was the M & M Book Fest in Menominee, Michigan.
We drove across the bridge over the Menominee River, which borders Wisconsin and Michigan and feeds into Green Bay. The area's history began with the Menominee Nation Tribe, the “wild rice people,” a fur trading post, and eventually the lumber industry, which floated white pine timber down the river. Successful lumber baron Augustus Spies (pronounced speas) and his wife funded the Spies Library in 1903, designed by the same Chicago architects who designed several Carnegie libraries; it resembles a French Chateau.
We arrived early; the morning was quiet, and I heard the mournful cry of the loons on the water, the wind whipping flags of harbored boats, and the clanking of the halyards against the masts. It was one of those sunny mornings that would have welcomed a walk along the piers, taking in the sights and sounds, but work needed to be done.
In my mind, looking at the map of assigned spaces, I made it more complicated than it needed to be. No one had set up yet, and we had to wait for the Book Nook Sisters to arrive. They were a bit frazzled, and rightfully so, because they had numbered the parking spots for participants in chalk, and the previous night's downpour washed their numbers away. They figured out the assigned spots by counting the spaces, and we started setting up in our number nine spot. Everyone was patient and understanding; slowly, three rows of tents were set up in the parking lot in front of the library, sitting on the harbor with a view of the bay and the distant shore of Door County, Wisconsin.
Since it was a book fest for authors (not art), we had four book titles, a table, a tablecloth, and chairs. We put up our tent without the sides, and honestly, it was far easier than setting up for an art festival, and it was a much shorter day than the longer hours we are used to.
This event celebrated local and regional authors and also raised money for the Spies Library Adult Programs. Participants donated items for a raffle to raise money for the library; it was satisfying to learn someone won a copy of Song of Jaybird.
It was so wonderful to share the day with talented authors around me, to have made connections with some of them, for everyone’s success on the day, and for readers and book lovers who came out to talk to the variety of writers of thrillers, romance, nonfiction, children’s books, historical fiction, and mysteries.
A special thank you to The Book Nook Sisters, 737 1st St, Menominee, MI, Deanna and Jacilyn Knight, “Indi authors, business partners, sisters and best friends,” who have embarked on a brave journey for the love of books and believe in the “power of reading.”
Do you enjoy going to book fairs and reading books by local authors? What books have you purchased and read while attending these events? Please feel free to share your comments below.
https://thebooknookmenominee.com/
