The City of Kennesaw hosted its annual Kennesaw Book, Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) and Vinyl Record Swap January 25, bringing citizens from across Kennesaw and Acworth to trade in their antique and used possessions for a new adventure. Area residents could drop off gently used books, CDs, vinyl records and DVDs the prior Thursday and Friday leading up to the swap. Volunteers and employees working the preparatory days then counted the dropped-off items, giving the trader a ticket that they can redeem for items based on the amount of items they dropped off.
The event was held at the Ben Robertson Community Center from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., allowing a wide time slot for all participants to join in the fun. A daunting crowd arrived at the building as it opened, or even before, busting in the room to find the best items. As prefaced several times online and in the guidelines, no items could be purchased, only traded and donated. The swap additionally limited participant donations to 75 books, 40 CDs, 40 DVDs and 40 vinyl records per person.
The event space organized books into genre sections, allowing easy previews and searches based on preference. Volunteers welcomed all participants, as well as created a practical, organized and easy swap system. The swap also allowed for all ages to participate, bringing in content that introduced them to people across several generations. High school students, families, toddlers and senior citizens jumped at the opportunity to engage in this friendly and hands-on soiree.
“My mom found out about the book swap and brought me along. I loved it and decided to volunteer this year to help the community and get some hours for BETA club. My favorite part of volunteering was helping sort by title and get to know all of the other ladies helping as well. It was cool to see the layout before the book swap to know what books would be offered as well,” senior Kaydence Malcom said.
Rather than buying new and expensive copies of wanted items, the trade allowed for numerous people to not only rid themselves of clutter, but find brand new reads, watches or listens to enjoy. The event required limited rules on the items, preventing mature content and faulty records. All items not swapped also faced a future: donation. Aside from benefiting those participating in community events and allowing a closet clean-out, all donated items that did not find a new home would then move to a charity center. These excess donations allowed for all people across the area to enjoy novel items.
“My favorite part is the adrenaline of speed walking through the isles to find authors and books you want to read. Everyone is grabbing and running around so it is very hectic but you walk out with a good set of books! I gave up books I received from last year’s book swap and a bunch of titles that collected dust on my bookshelf. It was nice to trade in something to allow others to read it while also receiving amazing books myself. I got over 25 books by varying authors from early swapping with volunteers and the actual swap at 8 a.m. I would recommend participating in the swap if you are a reader and have books you finished reading and want to give to a new home,” Malcom said.
Whether one took home their new favorite book or finally ridded themselves of the old DVDs in their basement, the free swap permitted a multitude of fun and neighborly bonding — as well as sustainable reuse. Kennesaw also stands as the host for several other community events including markets, car meets, sales and anything else the citizens desire and work out. After over a decade of this Kennesaw tradition, residents await the next January swap, compiling their treasures to trade and looking out for new items on their wishlist.