A red-letter day is coming on Saturday, Oct, 27, at the Bass Pro Shops/Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley in Manteca.

The event: the inauguration of the Great Valley BookFest. This will be a special venue for “young children, teens, and adults... eager to engage and meet both local and New York Times best-selling authors,” according to the event description by Toni Raymus of Raymus Homes in Manteca.

This inaugural BookFest is the brainchild of Raymus who lifted the idea from the AJC Decatur Book

In the last few months, Raymus and an inaugural committee have been busy meeting and organizing the first-ever BookFest which will be held around the picturesque water feature near the Bass Pro Shops at the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

As of last month, a total of 28 authors from a variety of genres have committed themselves to be present at the family-friendly BookFest whose mission is to celebrate literacy and to promote “the written word in San Joaquin/Stanislaus counties and neighboring communities.”

For further details about the story of Great Valley BookFest, visit GreatValleyBookFest.org.

The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley is located at Hwy 120 Bypass at Union Road in Manteca.

— ROSE ALBANO RISSO

209 staff reporter