FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (8/04)
Contact: Zoe Ramsey, Bazaar Chairman, at Book House: 219-3409 or Home: 797-4278; Anne Buckley, The Muses President, Home: 861-6565; Amy Giglio, CentenaryBook Bazaar liaison, 869-5136; Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Bellamy, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120

Sealed Bid Auction Details

2004 Centenary Book Bazaar Expected to Draw Thousands to Gold Dome Sept. 10-11

Some 35.000 Books Available at Bargain Prices

SHREVEPORT, LA — Over 35,000 books, along with audio and video tapes and CDs, will be sold at the 2005 Centenary Book Bazaar on Friday, Sept. 10, and Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Gold Dome. Hours are Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free and book prices start at 25 cents. The collection includes hardcover books and paperbacks.

Books are placed on tables by category. Among the many categories are: Fiction Over $1 and Fiction Under $1, Treasure Chest (newest books), Science Fiction, Cookbooks, Religion, and History. Children’s books, ‘The South,’ and ‘U.S. Presidents’ are more of the over 30 categories available.

The books are collected from donors throughout the year, priced and sorted into categories by The Muses, a women’s philanthropy group that supports student activities and projects at Centenary College.

According to Zoe Ramsey, chairman of the event, this is the biggest book recycling project in the area. Ramsey, a retired librarian, manages a team of volunteers who are trained to price books fairly but affordably. The volunteers also look for extra special books to include in the event’s sealed bid auction. Bidders place their bids in a box by each book and the book is award to the highest bidder, provided the reserve price has been met.

This year’s biggest feature in the auction is a limited edition, signed book by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The book, Elton John: Five Years of Fun, was a souvenir at Doug Weston’s Troubadour in August of 1975. According to Ramsey, the book is No. 619 of 2000 and is in mint condition. Volunteers have researched pricing on book internet sites and find comparable pricing at $689. The reserve on this book at the Centenary Book Bazaar will be $450.

“These books are donated by local people, and we want to give local people a chance to purchase them,” Ramsey said. If the books do not sell at the sealed bid auction, they will be offered on the internet to attract a larger market.

Other books in the sealed bid auction include a 1976 edition of Photographs of the Southwest by Ansel Adams, a first edition of The Cajuns of George Rodrigue, and the Diamond Jubilee Exposition Authority WPA book, Cavalcade of the American Negro. All 15 books in the auction have reserve prices well below the comparables.

Numerous vinyl records, including many Hollywood, Broadway and television soundtracks, will be sold by the Centenary music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota, on the upper level of the Gold Dome. Also featured on the upper level will be an art sale to benefit the Friends of Meadows Museum. Offerings include framed and matted prints, local art and statues.

Proceeds from the book bazaar help fund student projects and activities not included in the regular college budget. Among the things funded by The Muses in the past are equipment for the student leisure and extracurricular activities, benches and decks, equipment for student publications, student travel, student recognition activities and a celebration for graduating seniors and their families.

The Muses accept book donations throughout the year at the Book House at 108 East Kings Highway in the Centenary Square (across from George’s Grill). The Book House is staffed on Monday and Wednesday. Covered bins are available for donations at other times.

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