The two present buildings that compose the Back Mountain Memorial Library are officially on the real estate market and are ‘‘up for grabs’ to anyone who wants to buy a library. Recent rumors that the buildings were sold to an out-of-town businessman who planned to convert them into apartment buildings were squashed by local real estate agent, Bob Besecker, proprietor of Besecker Realty. Besecker, who has the library buildings listed on the market, said possible sales agreement has since fallen through. OPEN EVERY DAY The new library building, the former Dallas Borough School Building, offers By ANN DEVLIN Staff Correspondent The 38th Annual Back Mountain Memo- rial Library Auction will be the last one held at the library auction grounds on Main Street, Dallas. Ever since the first library auction in 1945, held at the Risley barn on Lehman Avenue, Dallas, the auctions have tradi- Risley’s old, white, wooden barn proved inadequate for the growing auction and community, the auction grounds were moved in 1972. Keeping tradition alive, a new barn was designed by Lee Eckert and John Gregorski, and constructed on the prop- erty adjacent to the library on Main Street. The building of the barn was made possible due to a $12,000 contribu- tion from the Dallas Rotary Club. 8 A.M. to 9 P.M. TRUCK BUYERS AW! 8m FINEING ON NEW TRUCKS Till July 3 Great Mileage! laxes and License Additional 1280 Sans Souci Pkwy. Wilkes-Barre Mon. thru Fri. 7:30 A.M.-8 P.M Saturday 7:30 A.M.-2 P.M. You Can Still Get 8.8% A.P.R.* finan- cing on any New Nissan Truck in stock! We've got 8 in stock, from the standard Lil’ Hustler to the loaded King Cab XE, and we're dealing. They won't last long, so drive in today for major savings and drive out in a dependable Nissan Truck. Nissan King Cab XE So Much Room, So Little Cost! Dependable, Economical So and Fun! aurThmoniiE TRUCK CENTER 206 Carey Avenue Wilkes-Barre \WDiv. of Fred Schuler, Inc. Mon. thru Fri. 7:30 A.M.-5 P.M. Saturday 7:30 A.M.-12 Noon The rural atmosphere generated by the Library Auction Grounds is loved by auction-goers everywhere. At one end of the grounds, the red barn sits proudly, complete with double doors and a raised wooden platform, perfect for an aucti- oneer’s perch. A red, white, and blue bell rests atop ‘the roof of the barn, just waiting to announce the start of the auction: Painted across the front of the bell is the phrase: ‘‘Commemorating the ’37th Annual Library Auction’,” a reminder of last year’s event. Soon the number 37 will be changed to 38. - Floodlights are almost hidden in the large, sturdy trees surrounding the barn. The lights will shine brightly when the bidding continues into the night. 1 On one side of the barn, a faded gray wooden fence borders the grounds, although, in the past few years, the auction activities have spilled past that boundary, and onto the library lawn. On the other side of the barn is a grassy hill, where most of the teenagers gather and talk mong themselves, obli- vious to the auction bidding going on next to them. Located at the far end of the grounds, opposite the barn, are two brown, wooden structures, one larger than the other. Sitting side-by-side, the buildings are boarded up now, but come auction time, they are designated as the refreshment stands. Next to one of the refreshment booths, a small gravel driveway leads to the upper level of the auction grounds. This space is reserved for the book stand, a square wooden building which is also closed up now. Where the bookstand will be next year, no one is quite sure. For when the library is sold, the auction grounds go with it. The new Back Mountain Memorial Library will be located in the old Dallas Borough School on the.corner of Hunts- ville Road and Franklin Street, Dallas. According to Kerry Freeman, library board of directors, next year’s auction will be held on the new library grounds. The auction grounds committee will be starting from scratch next year, as there are no booths present, on the newly- acquired grounds. The bookstand location is still undecided and may be located inside the building. Parking for the new auction grounds presents a problem because practically every inch of them is used as a parking area for the Main Street grounds now. However, according to Freeman, plans are in the making to include both a parking area and auction area on the new grounds. Thus, it seems that the barn tradition of the library auction may be coming to an end. RN
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