Bands, Booze, and Books, a grown-up’s book fair, was hosted at the Elks Lodge in Tifton, GA. The event was hosted by the Second Thoughts bookstore, which was the first time that they had ever hosted an adult book fair. Several members from the community came out to support, sell, and enjoy a night of reading and relaxing.
When asked about what an event like this brings to Tifton, Lily Bates, owner of Lovingly Lily Grace, said, “I think a lot of people in Tifton have expressed that there is nothing to do, especially for adults, so I think stuff like this is just an opportunity, and with live music and a bar, it’s a good combination for people.”
Scott Burch, the production assistant for local band Swamp Thunder, spoke about what his favorite part of the event was and the impact that it has on the community: “Everybody is coming together for a multitude of reasons, even if it’s all the way down to just having a drink with friends. You have amazing authors here, local shops, and local people from the community who are just trying to give something of themselves to other people that hopefully they can enjoy.”
Of all the authors who attended the book fair, Michael Fowler, whose pen name is Michael Aye, was among them. Fowler is a retired Navy officer and an international author.
Fowler said, “My favorite part about the book fair has to be meeting people and selling books.” Fowler also explained that all of the profits of his books go towards a trust fund for his grandson, who is a quadriplegic. Once he got the call about the book fair, he took it as a great opportunity to come out and see how many books he could sell.
The book fair wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all these people, but the creator behind the event, who made it all come to life, was Sydney Henderson of the Second Thoughts Bookstore.
“I have seen a lot of adult book fairs that other stores have done, and I thought it was a really cool idea,” Henderson said. “However, I was like how can I make mine different. So, food trucks, bars, music, books, community, it all just came together. I just wanted something that was different than what everyone else had done, but also just to show what Tifton is.”
Henderson also explained that events like these are important for Tifton because they allow people to get out of their houses and to get to know their neighbors.
Henderson said, “Tifton can be a cool happening place. Reading is actually really awesome and fun to do and get out and get to know the people around you.”