Dig Into Reading, this year's Summer Reading Program, will be in full swing starting with Tuesday evening's kick-off event!
The fun starts at 5 p.m. on the library lawn with games, crafts, and food. The bouncy house will be set up even earlier than that. At 6:30 p.m., you can settle in for a show featuring the comedy and magic of New York City-based performers Sammie and Tudie.
Bring a picnic of your own or treat yourself to what will be available on the lawn that night: The local Boy Scouts will be serving up hot dogs, hamburgers, cotton candy and drinks, and Chilly Willy will be dishing out ice cream.
 Local bee expert Tom Hutt and guitar instructor Dominick Colandrea will be making appearances to offer previews of their upcoming programs, as will a representative from Musikgarten, the music education program for ages 4 and under being offered this summer in the children's room of the library.
The event will take place rain or shine. If the weather's bad, festivities will be moved to Popp's Pavilion.
Attendees should bring some cut-up watermelon to share if they're able.

 Come with your family and make a night of it!

Don't wait too much longer to register your little ones (or yourself!) for this season's reading program events and activities - they're filling up fast!
Already many programs have spots open on their waiting lists only. These programs  include Act It Out Puppet & Theater Workshop, Yoga for Kids, the Wednesday Art activities, and the Figure It Out Thursdays. (Don't be discouraged from signing up on the waiting lists, however - it's summer, people's schedules are erratic, and we're frequently calling those on the waiting lists to come in and attend the programs!)
The bird-watching outing the Muddy Boots nature club is taking is full, but there are still spots left for the Wallkill River and What's That Tree? excursions.
The other programs that still have openings include Lego Camp, Story Time, Book Club, Archaeology Camp, Art Journal, Paper Bowl Making, Scriptwriting, Songwriting, Clay Workshop, the Chess Club, and the Tie-Dye Tee Design.
If you're interested in or have questions about these or any of our other summer offerings, give us a call at 895-3707.

 

Okay, parents, you've had your rest (or you will have after this weekend, right?). The chaos of the school year is officially over - time to launch into the madness of summer! Ready, set, go:

Tuesday: The Summer Reading Program kickoff starts at 5 p.m. with food, games, and crafts. Performers Sammie and Tudie take to the stage at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Mommy and Me resumes at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. Book Club meets at 1 p.m., followed by the Club Craft at 2 p.m. The Chess Club meets at 6 p.m. Dungeons and Dragons and the Quilters' Circle are both meeting at 6:30 p.m. (so make sure you show up for the right program, or you'll be totally confused).
Thursday: Kindergarten Story Time meets at 11 a.m. Craft and Activity Time is at 1 p.m. Act It Out Puppet &Theater Workshop meets at 2 p.m. Beginner Guitar Lessons are offered at 5 p.m.; Advanced Lessons take place at 6:30 p.m. The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m. The Fiction Book Club also meets at 6:30 p.m., to discuss Tony Hillerman's Finding Moon.
Friday: Games on the Lawn takes place at 4 p.m., as does Lego Building.
Saturday: The Muddy Boots Club takes their first trip, to the Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge to do some bird watching at 10:30 a.m.

Coming up: Lego Camp starts July 15! Register now at the Play-Well Teknologies website!
Musikgarten's first session starts June 28. Call 905-2556 to register or for more information. 

 

Adrienne and Jim Perine will oversee this summer's Scriptwriting Workshop, which is being offered in July.

Kids ages 10-13 can brush up on their production skills this summer, with Script- and Songwriting Workshops.
Books Alive! children's theater project directors Adrienne and Jim Perine will conduct the scriptwriting portion of the workshops. Participants will loosen up and get to know one another with theater games before using the themes found in the work of Robert Lipsyte to begin their own short scripts.
Barbara Ganin, who composes and performs the music for the Books Alive! productions, will team up with Adrienne to help children learn how to write their own lyrics and/or the music to accompany them during the songwriting workshops.
The culmination of both workshops will be a July 31 performance for family and friends in the community room of the Town Hall.
Participants must be able to attend all of whatever workshop they select. The Scriptwriting Workshops will be held Monday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 24, from 1-3 p.m.; and on Tuesday, July 30, from 1-4 p.m. (this will be a combined Script- and Songwriting Workshop). Rehearsal will be from 1-1:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, and the performance will be from 2-3 p.m. that day.
The Songwriting Workshops will take place from 1-4 p.m. Friday, July 26, and Tuesday, July 30, followed by the July 31 rehearsal and performance.
Questions? Call the library at 895-3707.

 

You'll be able to take your pick of fresh and locally grown produce and other products at the Community Farm Market starting Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Shoppers can pick up freshly baked bread, poultry and eggs, and mozzarella cheese, in addition to a variety of local produce.
You'll also have the opportunity to give back to the community through the Grow an Extra Row program. Each week the Farm Market will accept donations of surplus vegetables or flowers, which will then be sold to generate proceeds for the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Wallkill and also put towards feeding local children who - during the summer months - no longer have access to reduced-price school meals.
Those interested in taking part in the Grow an Extra Row program can drop off their items every Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
The Farm Market is located at the corner of Main Street and Park Avenue near the Friends' Used Book Shop and Community Laundromat. Keep an eye out for them at the Summer Reading Program kickoff, too!
For more information, call 895-3933.

The history and impact of children's literature will be the focus of a New York Public Library exhibit going on now through March 23 of next year.
More than 250 items from the library's collections will be featured, including gems like the original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals, a copy of the Nathaniel Hawthorne family's Mother Goose (with notes on passages that were too scary to read to their kids), a 1666 illustrated edition of Aesop's Fables that survived the Great Fire of London, and much more!
Learn how today's children's books have their roots in world folklore, art, and philosophy, and why it is that those very first books we read to our kids (Goodnight, Moon!) affect and shape them in ways that few other books ever will.

We all know the feeling - you read a fantastic book, one you can't stop thinking about, and all you want is another one just like it.
Soon, the Wallkill Public Library will offer you the  perfect tool to find it!
NoveList  will provide readers with a database of fiction titles to help them connect with the books they love (even if they don't know they love them yet!). The site's content is created by authors, librarians, and educational specialists who are experts at advising readers of every taste.
The site will provide author and title read-alikes (so if you've just finished The Interestings and are longing for a similar tale, you can get some suggestions), book discussion guides, award winners, feature articles, and more.
And for those who prefer nonfiction, NoveList Plus includes those titles, as well.
Keep a lookout! We'll announce the arrival of NoveList on our website soon!

 

 Before you search Google or Wikipedia, try our Library Guides first! Known as "LibGuides," these digital displays of our library's collections are based on popular subjects and include links to relevant books, movies, and music that you can request from our online catalog. In addition to our print and digital resources, some pages have interactive calendars, maps and message boards that encourage you to share ideas and participate in local activities, from farmers' markets to museum exhibits. Explore our collection guides on your PC, tablet or smart-phone today!

     Our online reference tools explore subjects like Local History,  Gardening, Home Improvement, and Online Resources. To access, click on RCLS Reference and Magazine Article Database on our Online Research Tools screen and select the Collection Guides tab at the top of the screen; or simply go to  http://guides.rcls.org/wakdatabases and click Collection Guides.

 

Matthew Thorenz

Wallkill Public Library archivist 

Those with a passion for American history now have an invaluable research tool at their fingertips! Founders Online allows users to search through thousands of records from George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
Read first drafts of the Declaration of Independence, learn about the debate that took place over the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and watch the very beginnings of American law and government take shape through documents authored, received by, or related to the six founding fathers.

Though initially the website offers about 120,000 searchable documents, once it's complete it will expand to include 175,000 documents that explore and illustrate the era.

Remember you can do a wide variety of other research with the Wallkill Public Library's Online Research Tools and Reference Materials, as well.