This coming week is a very quiet one as we're busy with the final preparations of this year's Summer Reading Program. The Knitting and Crochet Club meets as usual on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The following week is when we get busy, starting with:
Tuesday, June 25 - The Summer Reading Program kicks off with crafts, games, food, and Manhattan-based entertainers Sammie and Tudie. The fun starts at 5 p.m., with the show scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 26 - Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. Beneath the Surface Book Club meets at 1 p.m.,  followed by The Art of Books at 2 p.m., during which Summer Reading Program folders will be decorated. The Chess Club meets at 6 p.m., and Dungeons and Dragons and the Quilters' Circle both meet at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday: Kindergarten Story Time meets at 11 a.m. A Special Activity/Craft Time will be offered at 1 p.m. The Act It Out Puppet Theater Workshop is at 2 p.m. Beginner Guitar Lessons take place at 5 p.m., and Advanced Lessons at 6:30 p.m.
Friday: Games on the Lawn and LEGO Building will both be offered at 4 p.m.
Saturday: The Muddy Boots Club meets at 10:30 a.m. to bird watch at the Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge.

Early registration is underway for this year's Dig Into Reading Summer Reading Program.
This summer's programming includes a kickoff featuring the NYC-based comedy team Sammie and Tudie, story times, book and chess clubs, yoga, acting and puppeteering workshops, origami, guitar lessons, cartooning, and much more.
Though it's not necessary to sign up for the activities of your choice in person, you do need to stop by in person to fill out the SRP registration form itself. After that, you can give the library a call at 895-3707 if you can't make it in, and let us know which specific programs you'd like to sign up for.
Don't let your kids miss out on a fun-filled and exciting summer at the Wallkill Public Library!

 

Nature lovers can set their sights on the beautiful birds of the area when the Muddy Boots Club visits the Shawangunk National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, June 29.
The group will meet at 10:30 a.m. to visit the 566-acre grasslands on Hoagerberg Road, popular among birders throughout the state. Some of the different types of birds that populate the area include the bobolink, meadowlark, savannah sparrow, American kestrel, and more. Participants will learn about bird identification and behavior, habitat selection, and wildlife management.
Those planning on attending the outing should bring binoculars, bug spray for mosquitoes and ticks, and a bird guide, if you have one. Be prepared to do some moderate walking over level ground.
Children must be accompanied by an adult for this and the other Muddy Boots trips on July 20 and Aug. 10. Register soon! Space is limited.

 

Jeff Boyer will present his show Fun with Energy at 7 p.m. July 10, as part of this year's Summer Reading Program.
During the presentation, kids will learn about sound, light, solar power, and electric and kinetic energies, with materials ranging from everyday objects like baseballs and breakfast cereal to radiometers and even a Van de Graaf generator! The interactive experiments demonstrate how the world is governed by the laws and forces of nature.
Don't miss this exciting presentation - register soon if you haven't already! Call 895-3707 for more information.

Ages 9-12 will be able to learn about what an archaeologist does through activities, games,and experiments during this summer's Archaeology Camp.
Participants will also take a field trip to an actual archaeological site and exhibit their finds at a pizza party at the end of camp!
The camp will run from July 8-12 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day. The group will also meet July 13 from 1:30-3 p.m.
Deadline for registration is July 3. There's a limit of 12 participants for this program, so register soon!

 

Make your own gnome with a two-part clay workshop for ages 8 and up, starting Monday, July 1.
During the first meeting, participants will roll, pinch, and cut their clay into the needed parts for their creation. Those pieces will air dry for a week, and then on Monday, July 8, the group will meet again to assemble, glue, and paint the gnome.
The sessions will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. both days. Registration is required.

 

Nancy Reed-Jones of Wallkill River School will be offering beginner acrylic painting classes this summer, courtesy of the Wallkill Public Library.
Painting for Relaxation will teach all the basic fundamentals to start fledgling artists on their way to painting beautiful landscapes.
Learn how to use brushes, basic color mixing, composition, how to choose a focal point, and more.
Classes will take place Wednesday mornings in the community room of Town Hall, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. July 3 through Aug. 7. Ages 14 through adult are welcome to attend. Cost is $25 per person per session, made payable to Nancy Reed-Jones. There is a supply list for the class - stop by the library to pick it up or give us a call at 895-3707 and we'll let you know what you need.

 

CBS will premiere the televised adaptation of Stephen King's  Under the Dome at 10 p.m. June 24.
Released in 2009, the novel featured a small town in Maine that was suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.
How well this will translate to television remains to be seen, although it's hard to  hold out hope in light of past adapted-to-TV King stinkers like The Langoliers and Bag of Bones. Once the initial action of the dome coming down (causing plane crashes, car explosions, and the separation of loved ones from family members running errands in the next town over) has petered out, it's going to take some pretty good writing and acting to keep the story interesting.
King's optimistic, however, insisting that though the plot of the show will be character-driven, the visual effects will still be stunning.

After almost four years in graduate school - my last classes underway - I must admit I am sick and tired of school, but I am more in love with libraries than ever. Particularly, our library - what we are doing in the present but also the possibility of what we can bring to this community in the very near future. I love the passion our staff puts into helping people, making things right, creating a festive and welcoming atmosphere. They care that people feel good when they enter our doors and they care that they had a good experience while they were here. They care about providing service in a world that seems to be rapidly moving away from this essential practice.

I would even venture to say that our library has become an incubator of ideas for the hamlet, fueled by an energetic staff and an enthusiastic cadre of parents, kids, teens and seniors. Thank you for that! That is the cool thing about libraries. No two are alike. If they are good, they reflect the community they serve. They fill a void for a public gathering space, for free education and inquiry, for access to technology and programming for all, that is frankly not offered anywhere else in the community.

A recent map floating around the internet shows the proliferation of public libraries across the nation compared with Starbucks and McDonald's. They note: "There are more public libraries (about 17,000) in America than outposts of the burger mega-chain (about 14,000). The same is true of Starbucks (about 11,000 coffee shops nationally)."

That is a tremendous indicator of the importance, value and influence libraries can, and do, bring to communities all over this country. I have found that those who continue to question the value of libraries in this technological age do so for two reasons, 1. They haven't stepped inside of a library in years, if ever; and 2. They don't understand the value that comes from building community and connecting with others. We may be a nation in love with our gadgets - and the newer the better - but we also know we need connection more than we need things. People are social beings and what better place to gather and grow and combine our need for connection with our enjoyment of gadgets than at your local library? We believe that what we are providing this community in the way of programs, technology, collections and services is essential to fostering an educated, connected, informed and inspired citizenry. It is what we as Americans do best in 17,000 different ways.