Book lovers pack Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago's South Loop

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It's a book lover's dream come true.

"Oh my gosh, I'm in heaven," said Carol Kirby.

The Printers Row Lit Fest is back this weekend for its 38th year with picture-perfect weather on Saturday.

Kirby, a self-proclaimed book lover, came all the way from St. Charles, and said she loves seeing young people picking up and diving into books of all genres.

"Nowadays we tend to turn to technology especially our cell phones and I know our children do," said Kirby. "To get them to sit down and read something is sometimes a challenge."

Authors, book vendors and literary aficionados packed the historic Dearborn Street on a mission to find the next great read.

"Oh, I love it, I just love seeing their eyes light up when they discover new characters and new books they can see and read," said Christensen.

According to organizers, more than 100,000 people are expected to pass through Lit Fest over the weekend.

It's welcome news for local author Kim Jockl, who co-wrote "Safe Landing," a book about the deadly crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in 1979.

"This was three siblings, three senior citizen siblings that decided to write down their journey after the crash of American Airlines Flight 191, which our parents were on," said Jockl. "We just wanted our kids to have the story of our journey over 40 years."

"It's a treasure hunt for me," said Matt Meyer, owner of This Old Book.

Meyer said Lit Fest helps keep his passion for selling and collecting treasured titles moving forward.

"It's the best book sale in Chicago for sure so we have record sales every year here. We keep coming back," said Meyer.

From old books to new, Lit Fest is sure to bring the book worm out in all of us.