Whitefield Library celebrated Earth Day with various activities April 23. (Courtesy photo)
“What’s Happening at Whitefield Library?” you ask.
As we celebrate being open now for 3 months, we remain so very thankful to our volunteers for making it happen. From our volunteer librarians to our renovation volunteers, we are definitely “building” block by block, and it has been a very busy spring. Planning summer renovation projects, tweaking library procedures, lining up activities, and refreshing our fundraising strategies are all part of our efforts; none of which would ever be possible without our volunteers.
If you would like to help us establish a few summer programs of interest for our community members (such as author chats, book discussions, art classes, and other special focused events for adults), please be in touch with us at whitefieldlibrary.org or 549-0170 to leave a message. Having a few program offerings throughout the summer and fall would be a terrific addition to our library services, but we need your help.
With April nearly complete, what a creative way to round out our local school vacation week by celebrating Earth Day with our fellow friends and neighbors! Ms. Emma, our volunteer story time program coordinator, helped to arrange a fun-filled collaborative event between the library, Sheepscot Valley Hinterland Preschool, Sheepscot General, and Whitefield School PTA. Several families and children were eagerly greeted with stories at the library, flower planting, roadside cleanup with a hike to the school, followed by singing and forest play with kindergarten teacher Ms. Kalina. The two-hour fest had Mother Nature’s full compliance (one of her brightest spring days)!
Looking ahead, the month of May promises more fun while celebrating “moms,” flying, frogs, and sneakers with story time, activities, and another special “field trip.” Plans for a summer reading challenge are also in the making. Keep an eye on our Facebook posts for upcoming events.
If you have stepped onto our porch lately, you can’t miss our new addition. Our bright yellow book dropbox welcomes your “returns” 24/7. Handmade by a very generous and talented patron who keeps a sharp eye on our progress, Steve designed just what we needed to get those overdue books back on the shelf for the next ready reader! Reminder: Renewal is always an option if you need more time to finish that great book; just check in with us.
Whitefield Librarys Childrens Program celebrated Earth Day with stories, planting, hiking, roadside cleanup, schoolyard fun, and beautiful sunshine! (Courtesy photo)
Have you heard about our “Marie Fund”? During the ‘80s and ‘90s, Whitefield Elementary School was extremely fortunate to have a special reading teacher named Marie Patfoort. If you were in kindergarten to 8th grade during that time, you knew Marie was much loved by her students, but you may not have known her amazing survival story of being born and raised in Belgian Congo (see David Chase’s webpage mainething.com, “Life History of Marie Patfoort”).
Recently, a former colleague of Marie’s (Ms. Pond) made a generous donation to the library in her honor; funds designated to be set aside and used for purchasing books throughout the years to come. A few new children’s books will be our first purchase!
If you would like to contribute to this worthwhile fund, please let us know, and we’ll appreciatively add your donation to the list. We’re happy to say that Marie is well, resides nearby, and enjoys seeing her old friends.
Our renovation committee has started planning the exterior landscaping for the area around the building. In order to improve drainage away from the granite and crawl space, we needed to dig a trench, lay a barrier topped with crushed stone and then add a pitch away from the foundation. Once that is taken care of, we can work on the parking area and the driveway. Your financial donation towards this project would be greatly appreciated (our 501(c)(3) nonprofit is tax deductible).
If you haven’t gotten your library card yet, you can sign up at whitefieldlibrary.org or stop by. Patron membership is FREE to all Whitefield, Windsor, Somerville, Jefferson, Alna, and Pittston residents, and our numbers are growing! Our beautiful bookshelves are lined with choices, so come see what we have to offer. It’s also a sunny spot to visit and chat. We’re open every Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and hoping to extend our hours soon. We can’t wait to welcome you!
(Whitefield Library is located at 1 Arlington Lane, Whitefield, and whitefieldlibrary.org).
