The 62nd Annual Back Mountain Memorial Library Auction is going on this weekend at the Library Grounds on Huntsville Road in Dallas from 6:00 p.m. to midnight each night. This is a huge event for people living here in the Back Mountain. The list of past chairpersons is quite impressive and the committee list just goes on and on. It’s a real community effort with a high level of volunteer support.

The auctioneers rotate every half hour. They’re quick, funny and keep the action going at all times. I like to watch how they gauge the crowd and chant to encourage bidding. They make it look so easy. This is an art in and of itself.

Although the auction is the main event, a used book tent has traditionally been a feature attraction. This year, the books are in the basement of the library neatly arranged on shelves. I missed the tent, a little, but being able to look through the books in an organized fashion sure beats flipping through boxes for ones I like. I ended up buying more than I could comfortably carry!

The tents are part of the fun for me. The Odds & Ends tent is chock full of, well, odds and ends. Glass, plates, luggage, record albums, cameras, computers, mugs, pictures, you name it, and it’s there. My favorite is the “Nearly Olde” tent. This tent demands a slow walk-through. The jewelry, collectibles, linens and glass are a step or two away from antiques so you might be tempted to dismiss it all, but some of the stuff won’t be found in 10 years. The trick is picking out which is plentiful now before it gets snatched up by collectors.

There are plenty of food and drink vendors, the feature spot belonging to the Dallas Rotary. Auction goers can eat Hillside Dairy ice cream, potato pancakes, haluski, pierogies, and homemade fudge and wash it all down with some antique root beer or fresh lemonade.

This really is an old-fashioned outing. All the volunteers smile and are so helpful. The Dallas High School students have a commanding presence in the volunteer staff. In fact, I was rather struck by these kids. They are all very polite and friendly, not to mention the fact that they all look like they stepped out of some J. Crew catalog. One is more attractive than the next.

Another staple is Sue Hand’s painting demonstrations. For nearly 20 years, Sue Hand has set up her easel, capturing the action with her brush and freezing it in time. She donates the art to the library for auction. Last year, her artwork fetched $3,000 which was donated right back to the library.

This auction is an annual tradition in my family. On auction week, my mother and father still take their lawn chairs out on Wednesday night (heck, everyone does this). They leave the chairs there all weekend! My brother and sister-in-law live in Reading, but they come here for the weekend of the auction.

Stop in this weekend and support the library. If you don’t you won’t be able to witness this for another year. Going once, going twice, sold!