Time goes by and the world around us changes but books, they always remain the same.
A book can take you back in time to the days of cowboys and buckaroos, take you on an enchanted adventure or give you insight to information you never knew.
Former Cochranite George Parry has been a book enthusiast since 1970. Starting first in Calgary, he would soon land in Cochrane in a little store that was near and dear to Cochranites, Westlands Book Store. Over the years the quaint bookstore was a place for locals to pick up a good read or to just go in and share some witty banter with Parry.
Since the store front closed the 30 year-old collection of Parry's books now need a new home.
From October 10-12 Parry will be bringing a variety of books to Stockmen's Memorial Foundation Library for a book sale. A very suiting place to be selling off his inventory that focuses predominantly on Western Canadian heritage.
Parry says most of the books he will be bringing are rare in nature but won't come with a high price tag. The books will be affordable selling at only a few dollars a piece.
"I could take them to places where there's a different market, you know, where you just put them in a box and they're free, but these are close to me and they're really nice for my old customers that supported me for so long," explains Parry.
“A lot of the people from Cochrane west and north and south, even all the way from Waterton to Sundre they came in and picked out books right from Water Valley down and especially the Cochrane area so it seems to be my older customers that still treasure books and I do too."
Since Westlands closed Parry has had no issues filling his days. He spends his hours building fences and gates, checks out book fairs and reads a lot. He also writes a little.
“I have my own hours now," jokes Parry. He would love to open another book store in Cochrane one day saying it’s the only place he wants to be.
Along with the book sale, some key authors plan on joining Parry for the three day affair which will include Hugh Dempsey, Fred Stenson and Sid Marty all of which Parry has known for many years and published some of their earlier works.
"Hugh Dempsey is our oldest living historian and he is a great story teller. Sid Marty used to come to my bookstore in Calgary and he would come in and change to more down home clothes because he was going down to the Kensington deli to play the guitar and sing," said Parry.
"Fred Stenson used to come down to my store, him and his wife Pam Banting and they were just wonderful customers also their booksters so his book The Trade for example is one of the best books in Western history in Canada."
Don't miss the oppertunity to snag yourself a treasured book or to simply have a meet and greet with Parry and the gang.
The event will begin Thursday, October 10 to Saturday, October 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stockmen's Memorial Foundation Library.
