Currently On View

Faith Gulick and John Renjilian from Newtown Historical Society have created two displays near the circulation desk with memorabilia that document Newtown’s growth during 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

*PJ Story Time: This popular summer pajama story time meets on Tuesdays, 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.            

*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 19 is  “Painting and Decorating A Keepsake Box.”

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, through 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 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.

*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.

*Bach 2 Rock: Classically trained violinist Caryn Lin will transform her single instrument into a virtual orchestra through the magic of looping on Wednesday, July 28, at 7 pm, in the library meeting room.

Caryn’s enthusiasm for music will inspire and entertain. A family program for ages 6 to adult, online registration is requested.

*Beyond Candy Land: Eric Paradis will be back with his extensive collection of unique and challenging board games on Friday, July 30, from 2 to 4 pm, in the meeting room.

Registration is not necessary, just drop by and join in on the game of your choice.

The program is for ages 4 and up, and parents must remain with children under the age of 10.

Young Adult Programs

*Journal Writing Workshop: Children ages 9-13 who would like some professional tips on creating their own journals can sign up for a workshop on Friday, June 23, at 3:30 pm.

Former Disney artist Kristine Humber will supply all the materials and lend her design expertise. Register online, and please note a $5 material fee is due on the day of the workshop.

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

Have fun with the Marshmallow Masquers playing improvisation and acting games. We will also have pizza and cold drinks available.

Online registration is requested.

*The Teen Summer Reading Challenge for students entering 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.

Adult Programs

*A Terrible Glory: A book discussion series with Julie Stern will finish on Wednesday, August 4, at 7:30 pm, with a discussion of Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz.

Multiple copies of the books are available at the circulation desk.

*Try Something New!

Sign up for Adult Summer Reading online at CHBoothLibrary.org and you’ll be eligible to win fun prizes and gift certificates from local merchants.

Sal e Pepe, Newtown Youth Academy, Ricci’s Salon, Dunkin Donuts, and the Friends of the CH Booth Library have all donated great gifts. We’ll have a drawing at the end of the month and then another in August.

C.H. Booth Library is at 25 Main Street in Newtown. Call 203-426-4533 or visit CHBoothLibrary.org to register for any of the above listings, and for information on additional programs and offerings.