(Graphic courtesy of Herringbone Bookstore)
Thousands of books will fill High Desert Music Hall on Sunday, September 27, when Free Book Day returns to Redmond, offering community members of all ages the opportunity to choose books and take them home at no cost.
More than 20,000 books were available at last year’s event, with an even larger selection anticipated this year. Books span ages, genres and interests, including fiction, nonfiction and much more. Free Book Day is the culmination of an ongoing community effort to rescue donated and surplus books from throughout Central Oregon and return them to circulation.
This year, that work has also created a new opportunity for local youth. Through the Free Book Day Youth Stipend Program, teens are paid to help collect, transport and organize donated books while gaining hands-on experience in community service, responsibility and leadership.
“Free Book Day started with a pretty simple idea: good books should find readers,” said Brandon Weimer, owner of Herringbone Books. “What we’ve seen since then is how much this community values access to books. We’re rescuing books throughout the year, creating opportunities for young people to be part of that work, and putting thousands of books back into the community.”
What: Free Book Day
Where: High Desert Music Hall, 818 SW Forest Avenue, Redmond
When: Sunday, September 27, 2026; 11am-4pm
Cost: Free
Free Book Day is presented by Herringbone Bookstore and Ignite Empowerment Foundation. Herringbone Books is a locally owned independent bookstore in downtown Redmond dedicated to building community through books, events and the joy of reading. Ignite Empowerment Foundation is a nonprofit organization that partners with community leaders, emerging organizations and mission-driven initiatives to build the strategy, systems and support that make meaningful community work sustainable.