Children’s Programs

*Story Time and Puppet Show: Our final PJ Story Time & Puppet Show will take place Wednesday, August 6, at 6:30 pm, in the library meeting room. Children ages 3 and up will enjoy stories, songs and a puppet show. Come in your PJs and bring your blanket. No registration required.

*Summer Reading: Our summer reading program ends on August 16, but there’s still time to participate. Keep reading and continue to add to our total number of books.

Our collective goal is to read 6,000 books. If we reach our goal, the Friends of the Library will donate $600 to Heifer International.  Volunteers are here, ready to listen to children report on the books they are reading anytime the library is open.

*Folk Music with Rabbi Praver: Rabbi Praver has been performing music for young and old since his early childhood. A professional Cantorial Concert artist who grew up in Great Neck, Long Island, and lived in Israel for over a decade, this talented rabbi will have the children clapping and joining in as he performs songs from the American and the Israeli tradition.

Join us on Wednesday, August 13, at 10:30 am, in the library’s meeting room. No registration is required.

Young Adult Programs

*Chill With Will: Leland Kellogg of Newtown will bring Shakespeare to life through various levels of multimedia in a theater workshop she calls “Chill With Will: Young Adult Shakespeare Theater Workshop.” The program is for students entering grade 7 or above, will run August 4-9, and will culminate with an evening performance.

Ms Kellogg is the head of drama at the School of Performing Arts in New Milford.

Sign up at the Main Floor Circulation Desk or call the library to register. The workshop is limited to 15 students, and a $20 fee to be paid at signup.

*Young Adult Calendar Additions: Leslie Troy of Newtown will lead two special programs this summer. The first, “Summer Science Sampler,” is for students entering grades 4-6 (ages 9-11). This class will meet on Tuesday, August 5, from 1:30 to 3:30.

Participants will have fun in a session filled with hands-on science excitement including Kitchen Chemistry, Bubbleology, Aerodynamics and Physical Science. The class is limited to 14 students. Sign up at the Main Floor Circulation Desk or call the Library.

Mrs Troy’s second program, “Newtown’s Architecture Explored Through Folk Painting,” is for students in grades 7 and up (ages 12-15). This class will meet on Monday, August 11, from 1 to 4. Students will learn how to depict our historic town in the folk art style, and no prior painting skills are needed.

The class is limited to 12 students and there is a $5 materials fee, which is to be paid at sign-up. Sign up at the Main Floor Circulation Desk or call the library.

*Cartooning & Animation Program: O Tuesday, August 12, from 3 to 5 pm, join Ron Gagliardi for an afternoon of basic instruction in drawing characters, lettering, crafting a four-panel cartoon strip and simple animation. This is a class for young adults ages 10 and up or enter fifth grade or higher in the fall (no younger siblings, please).

*Middle School Madness Finale: On Thursday, August 14, from 4 to 5 pm, finish up summer reading and help us earn a llama and a goat for Heifer International. Join other young adults entering grades 6-9 for snacks and share your favorite books, be part of the drawings for special prizes, and get a sneak preview of some our of upcoming fall programs.

All raffle tickets handed in by that day are eligible for the drawings. Tickets handed in through August 16 will count toward the animal donations.

Sign up for the summer reading program, as well as the finalé, by calling or visiting the main floor circulation desk.

Adult Programs

*Summer Concert Series: The final concert in the annual summer series will be the Golden Angels Jazz Band, performing on Friday, August 15, beginning at 7 pm. Bring a picnic basket and your lawn chairs and spend a happy hour listening to some homegrown local musical talent on the lawn behind the library. In the event of rain the concert will be moved inside the library.

*Book Discussion Groups: The daytime book discussion group will meet next on Monday, August 11, at 1 pm, to discuss The Trial by Franz Kafka.

The Mystery Book Club will be discussing C Is For Corpse by Sue Grafton on Tuesday, August 19, at 7 pm.

The discussions promise to be lively, and new members are always welcome.

*Job Transitions: Wayne Szmyt will be returning to the library on Wednesday, August 13, at 7 pm, to discuss job transitions and how to network.  The program is free but registration is required; call the library.

 During the summer, the library is open on Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 8 pm, Friday from noon to 5 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Call the library at 426-4533 to register for any of its programs or for additional information.