Any extra sleep she can pick up will be invaluable, as there will be none tonight for the incoming convener of the Star Regent 24-hour Book Sale, as she and many other volunteers work to make the sale a highlight of the year for the book-buying public.
One of the hardest aspects of the job, Mrs Cunningham said, was to appear "bouncy and smiley" for customers after 23 hours of the sale.
Mrs Cunningham is learning the ropes before taking over next year from the man considered the father of the sale, Doug Lovell, who is standing aside before a move to Wanaka.
Mr Lovell started the annual theatre fundraiser 30 years ago with two truckloads of sheet music donated by a retailer and with some books from the public. The first sale raised $13,000.
The 30th 24-hour book sale begins at the Regent Theatre at noon today, and the organisers are hoping to better the takings of almost $100,000 at last year's sale.
This year's fundraising effort has a more urgent focus, as the Otago Theatre Trust works to raise $2 million by June 21 so it can secure funding of more than $4 million from the Dunedin City Council for redevelopment of the facility.
The volunteers would make sure, by regularly restocking tables of books, that the sale would be as good for last-minute buyers as for those who came early, Mrs Cunningham said.
She also said the volunteers, including herself, were an essential aspect of the running of both the book sale and the theatre, and many people did not know that the ushers at performances, for instance, gave their time free.
"Almost everybody people interact with is a volunteer."
Books at the sale will be split into 30 genres, and continuous live entertainment will be provided by local musicians.
