Now On View

Faith Gulick and John Renjilian from Newtown Historical Society have created two displays near the circulation desk with memorabilia which document Newtown’s growth in the 20th Century. The items include the founding of the Newtown chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, volume one of The Bugle from 1919, pictures from the Boy’s Social and Athletic Club from the fifties, and the golf course at Eden Hill in the Hattertown area.

We appreciate the contributions of the historical society for sharing their archives with townspeople.

Children’s Programs

*Summer Reading will continue until August 14.

Children ages 4 through grade 5 can still sign up to participate. Children receive incentives for every five books read during the eight weeks of summer break, and we have lots of great incentives this year including free passes to Westerners Baseball games, The Sports Center in Shelton, and Golf Quest in Brookfield, pizza from My Place Restaurant, or a donut from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Children read books they choose and stop by the library at their convenience to discuss the books with a young adult volunteer and collect their prizes.

*Monday Crafts: Marie Walker will conduct 45-minute Monday craft programs for children ages 6–9. The craft for July 12 is a felt puppet.

Registration needs to be done in person at the children’s circulation desk. A $3 material fee is due upon registration. Programs will begin at 3:30.

*Stories With Curtis: Curtis Urbina will bring his own brand of humor to a drop-in story time for children ages 4-6 on Mondays, July 12 to August 2, at 10 am.

Registration is not needed, just meet in the Story Time Room in the children’s department.

*Water Wizards: Educator Bonnie Shugrue will conduct a series of hands on science workshops for children ages 7-10 that will  focus on one of our most precious natural resources: water.

All classes will meet in the children’s story hour room on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.

Sign up online for each of the following workshops: July 13, “It’s Too Salty!,” to learn how to distill water; July 20, “Get the Oil Out!,” where you will experiment with ways to remove oil from water; July 27, “How Low Can You Go?” in which participants will build a model aquifer; August 3, “Filtering H20,” where you will make an effective water filter; and August 10, “Who Needs Wetlands?,” building a model of a wetland.

*Express Yourself — Art Experiences With Randi Rote: Artist and art educator Randi Rote will explore the collage techniques of Hans Arp and Matisse on Thursday, July 15. Ages 7 to 10 are invited to join her at 3:30 for the one-hour workshop.

Registration can be done at the children’s circulation desk.

*PJ Story Time: This popular summer pajama story time begins on Tuesday, July 13, at 6:30 pm, in the library meeting room.

Children ages 3-7 and their parents or guardians will engage in silly songs, rhymes, stories and a puppet show. No registration required.

PJ’s are optional, but highly recommended.            

*Under the Mystic Sea: After a successful career as a folk singer, Maria Sangiolo began recording children’s music in 2000. Her most current release, Under the Mystic Sea, encourages respect for the environment and our ocean animal friends.

Maria will perform for ages 4 and up on Friday, July 16, at 3:30 pm, in the library meeting room. Sign up online for this musical adventure.

*Kahana Hula: Tiare Kahana will bring her native Hawaiian culture to life through stories, songs and dance on Wednesday, July 21, at 3:30 pm in the library meeting room.

Suitable for ages 4 to adult, everyone is sure to wear a smile when they leave this presentation. Sign up online.

*Global Sounds — A Family Program: Chris Merwin will share his extensive knowledge of unusual instruments and music from his travels in the Caribbean and Hawaii on Thursday, July 22, at 7 pm in the meeting room.

A family program for ages 6 and up, registration is requested and can be done online.

Young Adult Programs

*Duct Tape rolls out again on Thursday, July 15, from 2 to 4 pm.

Katie Stevenson will lead the always-popular craft for rising grades 5-12 (ages 10-18).  The group is limited to 15, with preference given to Newtown students and residents.

There is a $6 supply fee payable at the program. Registration is requested and can be done online.

*M-Prov — a teen improv program for rising grades 6-12 — is on deck for Monday, July 26, from 5 to 7 pm.

We’ll have pizza and cold drinks too! Have fun with the Marshmallow Masquers playing improvisation and acting games. Online registration is requested.

*The Teen Summer Reading Challenge for rising grades 6-12 is in full swing!

Every time you finish a book, fill out the form at the display in the YA area. Turn it in for raffle tickets at the main desk, then deposit your tickets in the raffle prize boxes of your choice. There will be three drawings during the summer – July 12, July 26 and August 9. There will also be a grand prize drawing at the end for a Laser Tag Party for eight at the Sports Center of Shelton.

Everyone’s name will be entered in the grand prize drawing.