June 2023

Fair warning: there is a LOT happening at the library this month. You may want to bookmark our calendar page so you don't miss a beat!

Please note that the library will be closed on Monday June 19th in honor of Juneteenth.

In today's Newsletter:

• Update on our annual appeal
• Summer Reading Community Events:
• Paper Crafting for Main Street's Windows
• Summer Reading kids' kick-off at the library: Tuesday 6/13
• Whipple City Parade: Friday 6/16
• Summer Reading registration and book giveaways at Whipple City: Saturday 6/17
• Fire Tour! Brought to you by the Gill Room, Saturday 6/17
• Friends of the Library Book Sales: Thursday 6/1; Friday 6/16; Saturday 6/17
• Writers Reading: Thursday 6/1
• Unpacking Back Pain is BACK: Wednesday 6/7
• Yoga for Kids: Wednesdays 6/14 and 6/28
• Container Gardening for Kids with Cornell Cooperative Extension: Wednesday 6/21
• Pizza & Pages Teen Book Club: Thursday 6/22
• Soul Collage: Saturday 6/24
• Monthly Music at the Library: 6/27, featuring Eric Kufs
• Build-a-Book Workshop: Tuesday 6/27 - Thursday 6/29
• Regular programming updates
• Community events at the library this month
• June is Pride Month!

We will conclude our annual appeal by the end of June, and we still have work to do to reach our goal of $17,500. We have so far raised $10,456.

Please read about our annual fund here, and consider making a donation of any amount today! Remember that your donations will be matched, making every dollar go further. Donate online, or bring a check to the library.

And if you have donated already, thank you! None of the programs and events you'll read about in this newsletter would be possible without community support.

This year's Summer Reading theme is All Together Now, and we are ready to partner with all of you to read together all summer long!

Our Summer Reading programming and book giveaways are funded in part by the Stewart's Shops Holiday Match program. Thank you to Stewart's Shops and to their shoppers and supporters!

Come help create simple (or complicated if that's your thing!) paper decorations for the windows of Main Street. We are using old deaccessioned, damaged, or unneeded books to decorate our downtown and celebrate Summer Reading!

Our goal is to paper the village in time for Whipple City, and we need your help. Come armed with scissors, tape, glue, and ideas, or just bring yourself! Paper crafting books and basic instruction will be provided.

All ages and abilities are welcome. Drop in at any of these sessions; no registration required.

Paper Crafting for Main Street's Windows:

Tuesday June 6, 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Thursday June 8, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Wednesday June 14, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Thursday June 15, 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Tuesday June 13

3:00 - 4:45 PM

The Whipple City Parade theme this year is "Small Town Pride," and we've got plenty of that! We're planning a library float to help us launch Summer Reading and celebrate our community. If you are a library lover and want to walk alongside our float in the parade, join us at the Big Lots parking lot on Friday June 16th at 5:00 PM. Look for the big books!

Parade details here.

All are welcome!

Catch us on Main Street for the Whipple City Festival on Saturday June 17th from 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM. We'll be giving away free books to kids and readers of all ages can register for our Summer Reading Challenge.

We're working ALL TOGETHER NOW to read as many pages as possible. In 2022, readers of all ages in Greenwich read nearly 200,000 pages, and we believe we can beat that this year.

Register to read here, or come see us at Whipple City!

Before you enjoy the sites and sounds at Whipple City, join Sandy from the Gill Room for her popular walking tour of Greenwich's historic fires.

Meet at the Greenwich Free Library parking lot on Saturday 6/17 at 10:00 AM

No registration required.

First Thursdays and third Saturdays throughout the summer.

Next up: Saturday June 17, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Once again, the Friends of the Greenwich Library will present their annual sale in coordination with the Whipple City Festival. Upstairs, downstairs, and outside at the library during and after the parade.

Friday June 16 starting at 5:00 PM

After an at-capacity event in April in which attendees learned about lower back pain, the library is pleased to host Felicia Leighton-Ibbotson of ReForm Body Coaching for an encore presentation. This lecture-demonstration discusses why over 16 million people in the USA are affected by recurring or chronic back pain. In Unpacking Low-Back Felicia will guide the audience in beginning to understand their own breathing and posture, and she will share vital information on understanding back pain.

Wednesday June 7

5:30 - 6:30 PM

Registration is required

We are thrilled to announce that certified instructor Haley Graves returns for morning yoga! And, this time, we're offering a special session for kids ages 5-10!

Registration is required for each individual session, and space is limited.

Wednesday June 14, 10:00 - 10:45 AM, Ages 2-5

Wednesday June 28, 10:00 - 10:45 AM, Ages 2-5

Wednesday June 28, 11:00 - 11:45 AM, Ages 5-10

Kids age 5 can register for either (or both!) sessions depending on child's needs. Classes are free, and yoga mats are provided.

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension Washington County for a teaching program and container garden kit to take home. Youth ages 5 and up are invited to this free program. Kits are limited to one per household, but multiple children in a household may participate in the program. Registration is required.

Wednesday June 21

Outside behind the library (Community Room will be the rain location)

2:30 PM

FREE

Teens can pick up a copy of the YA book, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (limited copies, first come first served), then come together for some pizza, a book chat, and a viewing of Love, Simon (PG-13), the movie adaptation of the book. All teens are welcome, whether you've read the book or not! Registration is not required.

Thursday June 22

4:00 - 6:30 PM

Trained SoulCollage facilitator, Judith Prest, returns for this interactive card making workshop, celebrating the Summer Solstice.

Join members of the Greenwich (and beyond) community for this relaxing afternoon of meaningful card making, using collage as the medium. SoulCollage® workshops are intuitive, reflective and very “hands-on.” There will be opportunities to create and dialogue with the cards. Anyone can make these cards – it does not require any artistic talent or training. The tools are simple: images from a variety of sources, scissors, glue sticks and pre-cut card stock. All materials will be provided by the facilitator, though there will be a materials fee of $10 - $15 per person (sliding scale) collected at the beginning of the workshop, but it is otherwise free. Designed for those aged 16 and over, no experience is necessary.

Saturday June 24

1:00 - 4:00 PM

Registration Required.

For the next five months the library will proudly present a series of local and regional musicians and bands. Outdoors, weather permitting, and in our cozy Community Room in the event of rain. First up is Greenwich's own Eric Kufs, a singer songwriter who's also one half of the magnificent team at Owl Pen Books. Read more about Eric and his music here.

Live music and a taco stand from Casa Reyes!

Tuesday June 27

6:00 PM

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council.

Kids 8 and up are invited to this free three-day workshop where they can create, write, illustrate, and construct their own book.

Tuesday June 27, Wednesday June 28, & Thursday June 29, 2:30 - 4:30 PM

As summer begins, some of our regular programs will go on a break, and some will meet all month long. Here's what you need to know in June:

Building Blocks Kindergarten Readiness: The Winter/Spring session just concluded, and registration is now open for the summer session, which begins July 11th. Until then, no Tuesday/Thursday morning programs are scheduled.

Talk Soup Playgroup meets on Monday June 5 and Monday June 12 at 10:30. Ages 0-5, drop in.

Chess Club meets on Monday June 5, Monday June 12, and Monday June 26 at 2:30. All ages, drop in.

Teen Lounge meets on Tuesday June 6 and Tuesday June 20 at 3:00. Ages 12+, drop in.

Lego Club meets on Wednesday June 7 and Wednesday June 14 at 2:30. All school ages, drop in.

Children's Room Story Hour meets on Thursday June 8 and Thursday June 15 at 3:00. All ages, drop in.

Little Learners meets on Friday June 1, Friday June 9, and Friday June 16 at 10:30. Ages 2-5, drop in.

Gamers Café meets on Friday June 2, Friday June 9, Friday June 16, Friday June 23, and Friday June 30 at 2:30. All ages, drop in.

Journal Press Podcast Recording, Monday June 5 at 10:15 AM

Battenkinder, Wednesday June 7 at 10:00AM

GALA (Greenwich Arts & Library Association), Wednesday June 7 at 11:00AM

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group, Wednesday June 7 at 1:30PM

Town Hall with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, Tuesday June 13 at 6:30PM

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day with the Washington County Office for Aging and Disabilities Resources, Thursday June 15 at 11:30PM

Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia Education Program, Thursday June 15 at 2:30PM

AARP Smart Driver Course, 6-hour course over two days: Thursday June 28 and Friday June 29 from 10:30-1:30 each day

Greenwich Free Library is proud to support and celebrate all patrons and community members. Read about the history of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and check out a book by and about LGBTQ+ individuals.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and be sure to drop by the library regularly to stay in the know about library happenings and gatherings.

Oh, and thanks for scrolling to the end; you deserve a prize. It's a great day for ice cream, go get some!