he Benton House Book Sale will be taking place Friday, July 17 from 5-8 p.m., Saturday, July 18 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, July 19 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The sale will be held in the big tent in the parking lot at 312 S. Downey Ave. (Thanks to Montgomery Tent & Awning for the tent!) There’s still time to drop off donations for the sale at the Benton House ONLY until Sunday, July 12.
The annual book sale is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Benton House, and proceeds go to support and maintain the historic home. Prices are $2 for hardbacks, and $1 for paperbacks and children’s books. The organizers are encouraging use of credit/debit cards to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and will not be charging a fee. There are thousands of books to choose from in every genre imaginable: romantic fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reference, children’s literature, the classics, science fiction, cookbooks, arts and crafts, and much more.
As with every event held during the pandemic, every effort is being made to protect shoppers and volunteers. To that end, the Benton House Book Sale organizers welcome shoppers to bring their own bags. On Sunday fill your bag and be charged $5/bag based on the amount that can be contained in a plastic grocery bag. They are changing the layout to help people maintain physical distancing and improve shopping flow. In addition, masks are REQUIRED to attend the event (masks will be available for purchase in case you forget yours). Every morning, the tent will be sanitized with industrial strength spray, and volunteers will all have masks on, use gloves, and hand sanitizer. In addition, hand sanitizer, nitrile gloves, and masks will be available. Volunteers will also be limiting the number of people coming into the tent.
If you are a doctor, nurse, or other essential worker, you can receive a discount on purchases with ID. If you maintain a Little Library, register it the organizers. You will receive 1 free bag of books.
They will have the Christmas in July sales tent again with great bargains.
Also the 2020 Irvington Halloween Festival shirts will be available for purchase!
The Benton House was built in 1873 and is a shining example of Second Empire architecture. It was the home of Allen R. Benton, twice president of Butler University when it was located in Irvington. The house is lovingly preserved, thanks to the efforts of the Benton House Association. It is listed as an Indiana Museum and is the only publicly-accessible house of the east side that is listed in the Historic Register. The Benton House is available for rental for small weddings, gatherings, and parties.
The annual Benton House Book Sale is made possible with generous support of volunteers before and during the event. Volunteers are needed to help Wednesday, July 15th at 6 p.m. for the book brigade, where books are brought into the tent. This will limit the ability for social distancing, so masks are a must. Volunteers for during the sale are also encouraged to to contact info@thebentonhouse.org to sign up. All volunteers receive a free bag of books!
