This past weekend I had the pleasure of bringing PaperPie to the Centerville Fall Fest. What a beautiful day it turned out to be!

The morning started out a bit breezy, but thankfully the sun was shining and it turned into the kind of gorgeous Fall day that makes you want to spend the whole day outside. There was so much energy throughout the event, as families came out to enjoy everything that the Fest had to offer.

There sure was a lot to enjoy! Along with vendors and food trucks, families could visit a pumpkin patch, enjoy the petting zoo, participate in bingo, and of course, listen to live music in the evening. Everywhere you looked there was something going on, which made it a fun place to spend the day.

I brought a large variety of books with me so I could make sure that there was something for many different ages. And since we’re officially entering the holiday season, you know I brought the Halloween and Christmas books too. Those books definitely caught some attention!

As usual for events, I enjoy getting to meet so many families, hear stories, and see children’s faces light up when they see books. Many times it is the youngest that show their love for books on their faces, but I heard plenty of older children ooh and ahh over seeing a booth with books before coming in.

One of my favorite interactions was with a tween girl, who was using her own money to pick out a book for a new brother on the way. When asked if she was excited or nervous to have a baby brother she said she was a little nervous, then her mother revealed that the brother was not expected to be born for another 5 months. We all then agreed that what she must be feeling was really excitement. And what a thoughtful gift that she chose for her new brother!

There were all kinds of families that I got a chance to talk to as well. Families that were preparing for children to be born, families that recently had new additions, families with foster children, and families with children that had grown and moved away, but were sending books to them by mail to enjoy. I even met another member of our PaperPie family, who stopped in and shared about her young family too and how she is excited to get back to sharing PaperPie books at her events too..

It was a wonderful day filled with sunshine, Fall fun, good food, and lots of talk of books. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to visit, browse and chat with me, or take something home for the readers in your life. And a BIG thank you to everyone who helped make Centerville Fall Fest such a fun community event! I’m already looking forward to the next one.