Ripley River Village Christmas weekend is set for Dec. 8-10. Photo by Wade Linville
The Ripley River Village Christmas Weekend Committee has announced the annual Friends of the Library Christmas Book Sale to be held during the weekend festivities, Dec. 8-10. The Friends Christmas Book Sale will be held on Friday, Dec. 8 at the Library Annex, 19 Main St., from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to Alison Gibson, director of the Ripley Library, the books are not priced. The library asks only for a donation.
“We have everything,” said Gibson. “Our books come from donations to the library as well as what we have pulled from the collection. Generally, we have a good selection of cookbooks, history, biography, a miscellaneous table or two, and lots of fiction, both old and new, and children’s books. We try to have a ‘special’ table of local interest and collectible books. We have both paperback and hardback.”
“There are always treasures to be found,” she said. “Some are like new, and we know people come to purchase books for gift giving. We will have at least 30 tables of books to choose from.”
All proceeds from the book sale will be used by Friends of the Library to fund projects and programs at the Ripley Library. “Later in December,” Gibson added, “the Friends help with the Summer Reading Program, purchasing the T-shirts and other incentives for the kids. Over the years the Friends have sponsored the Cincinnati Zoo, the Newport Aquarium and many other wonderful events. This year, they sponsored the first Jazz Alive program, and it went so well, we are having them return this year on the Sunday after the book sale as a fun wrap-up of the Ripley River Valley Christmas Weekend.”
According to Ron Loebker, president of Friends of the Library, some of the programs Friends has brought to the Ripley Library Annex for local children include Madcap Puppet shows. Madcap Puppets based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is nationally recognized for engaging and original children’s theatre productions and children’s learning experiences enriched with performances based on world literature and cultures, thanks to its partnerships with schools and libraries like The Ripley Library.
Loebker added, “We also sponsor the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in our area every year. And we support the library with financial help to digitize historic documents such as local newspapers, which is extremely important, not only for the community but for the state, country and outside the USA.”
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners.
The Ripley River Village Christmas Weekend will be held Dec. 8-10, 2023 in Ripley, Ohio. The festivities will include a tree lighting at the Ripley Library and the announcement of the winners of the Light Up Ripley home and business decorating contest on Friday, Dec. 8. A visitor from the North Pole may join us, too. Be on the lookout.
Afterwards, there will be a cookie and hot chocolate social in the annex next to the library. Thank you to the Ripley Women’s Club, Stacy Michael, and Kacy Massie for baking delicious cookies and to Druann Kendrick for making her secret recipe hot chocolate.
DJ Steve Strunk will provide music beforehand to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.
If you have questions about the tree lighting, please call 937-392-4576.
There will be a visit with Santa at the First State Bank on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.. Bring your wish lists and cameras and enjoy the refreshments. The visit with Santa is a tradition at the bank, according to Ali Corns, lead teller. The bank offers Christmas cookies, coffee and juice for the children and their parents. Joe Germann who loves being Santa, has filled those boots for more than 20 years. He and his elves, Bob Armour and Sam Edmisten, make their way to several locations in Brown County throughout the holiday season. Those same two men will be playing Santa’s elves again this year. Also beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9, the Centenary Methodist Church at 110 N 2nd St. hosts the Buddy the Elf Buffet and Breakfast. The ever-popular spaghetti with toppings is available to the kids. They may select from a variety of M&Ms®, marshmallows, maple syrup, Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts ® and more.
Donations covering breakfast support the Community Food Pantry.
The film : Elf will be playing during the breakfast. Elf is a 2003 American Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau and written by David Berenbaum. Elf was released in the United States on November 7, 2003 by New Line Cinema.
The weekend will wind down on Sunday, Dec. 10 with Sunday services at Ripley’s local churches followed by the Heritage Christmas Home Tour on Sunday afternoon. Tickets for the Home Tour will be available at the Ripley Museum, 219 N. Second St. The weekend’s events will close with a Jazz Concert from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Library Annex, 19 Main St.
