The ferocious wind could not stop volunteers and customers from visiting the San Buenaventura Friends of the Library book sale that was set up on the grass outside the closed H.P Wright Library on Day Road.

With nearly 220 boxes of donated books, fifty to sixty tables of items and almost thirty volunteers, the book sale was able to continue on Saturday, March 27.

“The sale doesn’t benefit the Wright Library, that’ll have to wait. The benefits go to Foster and Avenue Library. Eighty five percent goes to Foster, the other fifteen to Avenue,” said Chuck Carlson, sale manager and Friends of the Library Chairman of the San Buenaventura Committee.

The Wright Library, of course, was closed last November after a proposal to raise the sales tax in Ventura was voted down in last November’s election.

Books ranged from every genre, including romance, horror, politics, and mystery, and an array of gardening, cooking, self-help and large print books were also lined up neatly for buyers. The fundraiser also included the sale of video home system tapes (VHS), which were complied onto more than four tables.

The sale started at ten o’ clock and continued until three o’ clock.

“Despite the terrible weather, though, we were selling books at 9:30,” Carlson later said.

A handful of the volunteers were Foothill students of varying grades. They contributed to the fundraiser by setting up the hundreds of titles and authors, helping customers, receiving money from purchasers and, of course, keeping the wind from blowing away papers or knocking down stands.

“This is my third year. By now, we have the loyalty. You get a good feeling when you volunteer,” said Sabrina and Stephanie Partridge, two sisters who volunteered at the event and also attend Foothill as a junior and freshman.

Carlson claimed that they had received so many donated books that they did not have enough time to process all of them to sell on Saturday.

Photos: Customers and volunteers gather at the book sale at Wright Library. Photos by Lauren Parrino