Sydenham Library fundraiser highly successful

Jan 27, 2011

Photo: Authors Merilyn Simonds andWayne Grady

Sunday afternoon, Mill Street Cafe in Sydenham was filled with folks who had come out to show their support for the new Sydenham Branch Library, and to meet a pair of local authors. Pat Dawson provided tea, coffee and tasty snacks, as well as a warm, appropriate setting on a very cold day.

The authors, Wayne Grady and Merilyn Simonds, recently co-wrote an account of their two-month winter trip home from Vancouver to Athens Ontario, through the US. They had hoped to miss most of the winter weather by staying south of the border, although later one person accurately commented, ”you could have driven through a snowstorm and hit a deer in Canada!” Called “Breakfast at the Exit Cafe,” the book has been described as “part travelogue, part exploration, part mid-winter love story.” Simonds and Grady spoke of the experience of writing together: both have authored many books, and they have been married for years, but this is their first collaborative effort. They seemed to have enjoyed the process, and hinted that there could be more in the future.

The reading was lively, well-paced, and often funny, and the audience seemed to enjoy every minute. Several suggested that it might be a good idea to continue this sort of event by inviting other authors to come and give readings in the new library, which will have the space for it.

Once admission and extra donations were tallied, just over $1,000 was added to the funds to help furnish the new library. By next week we hope to have a more detailed account of the fundraising campaign and the equipment it will help purchase.