As part of an effort to be an active presence in the community, volunteers from Parkesburg Free Library participated in the Follow Your Heart to Main Street event on Feb. 13 by holding a membership drive and book sale.

The library was one of many Parkesburg businesses and organizations that were on hand at The Parkesburg POINT Youth Center during the day. The special event also included vendors that set up in businesses along Main Street, a Valentine's scavenger hunt and shopping discounts and incentives by local businesses.

Next up for the library will be its book sale on Saturday, March 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. "We have a small section of the library set up - the Book Corner - where you can come in any day we are open and look for books for sale. For our big book sale, we set up tables right in the (main part of the) library," explained library staff member Patricia Lee Prange-Smith.

A unique aspect of the book sale and the Book Corner is that shoppers can purchase books by donation only; there are no set prices. "We have people that come in that are very generous, (but) we take whatever people give us," Prange-Smith said.

For the March book sale, books will be sorted by adult fiction and nonfiction, and there will be a section for children's books, including board books and picture books.

Most of the books offered at the sale are donated by the public. Others have been taken out of the library's circulation. All books are sterilized and put into quarantine for at least a week prior to being sold.

Prange-Smith said that future plans call for the library to have mini book sales and membership drives when Parkesburg once again hosts Final Fridays, which offer special activities on Main Street on the last Friday of each month from April through October. Other library programs are in the works and will begin as soon as pandemic restrictions are lifted.

In other news, the library announced the winners of its Guess Jar contest. "Every month we put (out) a jar filled with items that focus on children - candy or stickers," Prange-Smith explained. "Then, you pay (a nominal fee) and (write down) your name, phone number and your guess. The person who guesses the closest wins the jar. Sometimes we put in pinecones, and in that case, they win a gift certificate to a local business. One month was for an ice cream cone at Bell's Delites."

February's Guess Jar winner was Olivia Nerozzi. "We were very excited to learn that Olivia's brother Angelo was the Guess Jar winner for January," she added.

Parkesburg Free Library is located at 105 West St., Parkesburg. For more information, including hours of operation, readers may call 610-857-5165 or visit http://www.parkesburglibrary.org. More information is also available by searching for "Parkesburg Free Library" on Facebook.

Those who enter the library building must wear a mask and practice social distancing. Curbside pickup is also available.