Barbara Metzger (1944-2023) was an award-winning novelist, editor, writer of greeting card verses, artist, and longtime volunteer with the Friends of the Montauk Library. It was in that last capacity that Bob-E, as she was known, was instrumental in organizing book fairs on the Montauk Green on July Fourth weekends from 1980 to 2014.
In 2023, Bob-E wrote down her remembrances of the early book fairs in preparation for an oral history interview, but she died before the interview could take place. Stephanie Krusa, the Friends’ first president, read the notes on Bob-E’s behalf for a recording captured in the library’s sound studio. In this recollection, Bob-E describes the early days of Montauk’s library services as a bookmobile, how the community came together in support of the library, and the joys and challenges of hosting a grassroots community fair.
But don’t take our word for it; you can listen to the interview at the link below.
Listen to Bob-E and the Book Fair on New York Heritage.
The Friends of the Montauk Library Book Fair continues to raise funds for library programs, equipment, and exhibits. For nine years, the book fair has been hosted on-site at the library. The fair takes over the library’s community room, small meeting room, and Friends book store, papering the lower level with new and like-new fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books at affordable prices. In addition to books, there will be plants and baked goods for sale. Crafts and activities for children will be set up outside.
This year, the book fair is open on Saturday, July 6 from 10 am to 3 pm and Sunday, July 7 from 11 am to 2 pm at the library, 871 Montauk Highway. On Sunday, the Friends slash already reduced prices and call winners of a bucket raffle with prizes and gift cards from local restaurants, and, rumor has it, two nights at the Montauk Manor!
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