Little City Book Fair starts Friday at Harper College in Palatine

The 2011 Little City Book Fair runs this weekend at the Harper College gymnasium, Algonquin and Roselle roads, Palatine.

Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 Friday and free the remaining two days.

It’s the first time the nationally renowned event has taken place in the Northwest suburbs since it started in 1958 in Skokie. Proceeds benefit Little City Foundation, a Palatine nonprofit agency that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

About 8,000 people are expected to browse through 120,000 donated used books. The event has raised about $200,000 each of the past few years, an amount Little City hopes to maintain in the wake of funding cuts.