Brewery brings the thrill of the elementary school book fair to the state fairgrounds
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Many avid readers have memories of browsing through countless books during elementary school book fairs. Now, a local brewery is bringing those memories to life with a book fair for grown-ups.
On Saturday, Inbound BrewCo took over the the Education Building at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. Readers were able to connect with local authors and glance through some of their work while enjoying a beer. The event also hosted publishers, bookstores and artists. In total, around 140 stands were present at the fair.
“It’s really cool to get to walk around and do this like we did as a kid, but have it with adult books,” said Jason Larson, of Crystal, a booklover at the event.
The brewery hosted the first Book Fair for Grown-Ups in January at their downtown Minneapolis location, and the event was a massive success.
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“The line was down the block,” said Rachel Silberman, event and marketing coordinator for Inbound BrewCo. “It’s mind blowing to me how the book community came out and supported literature.”
Silberman said there are plans to host the event in an even bigger venue, especially after seeing the volume of people who showed up on Saturday.
“We outgrew [the space] already,” Silberman said.
The book fair was also important for local authors to showcase their work and interact with potential audiences.
Dennis Vogen, of Minneapolis, is an author who has created graphic novels and written across numerous genres, including science fiction and books about animals.
He described book fairs as the “lifeblood” for part-time authors.
“It’s a way to connect with the community, see people who live where I live and be able to introduce my art to them,” Vogen said.
Vogen said people approached him and said they were unaware book fair events like this existed.
“I hope these people seek out more events like this, so local authors like me get more exposure.”
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