Library Events - June 2009

Summertime...and the Reading is Easy...

Celebrate the joys of summer at the Hancock Town Library! Children are invited to register for our 2009 Summer Reading Program, "Summertime.and the Reading is Easy." This annual statewide program is sponsored by Children's Librarians of New Hampshire to encourage year-round reading by children. Special programs and activities relating to our summertime theme will be offered throughout the summer. Eager young readers can sign up at the library during Wings of the Night on July 2nd or during the following week in the Children's Room.

Middle & high school students can participate again this year in our reading raffle. For every book (of at least 100 pages) you read you can enter a raffle ticket for multiple prizes throughout the summer (weekly prizes might be anything from a gift certificate for ice cream to an Amazon giftcard). There will be two grand prizes this year: we will raffle off a Creative Zen Mozaic MP3 player and give one to the student who reads the most books (thanks to Friends of the Library)! This contest will begin July 2nd and run through the end of the Summer Reading Program on August 11th.

Are You Up To The Challenge???

Here's a challenge to the children & teens of Hancock. Last summer you collectively read a total of 375 library books. If you can increase that number to 600 for the summer of 2009, the library director will dye her hair pink. Can you do it? Are you up to the challenge? If so, don't forget to sign up for the Summer Reading Program!

From the Children's Room...

A reminder that Story & Craft Time for Preschoolers will continue on Wednesdays at 2:30 through June 10th this year. Stay tuned for more summertime crafts and activities.

Saturday June 6th from 10:00 - 11:30 am
World Tales Art Classes with Melody Zahn Russell

The last in Ms. Russell's latest series of art classes inspired by different cultures. Suggested ages 5-10. There is still room if you'd like to sign up - just call the library at 525-4411.

Tuesday June 9th at 6:30 pm
Bedtime Stories for Kids

Join us in your jammies for stories that are just right for sending you to sleep with pleasant dreams! For children of all ages. Refreshments.

Thursday June 25th at 7:00 pm
Family Film Night: Pinocchio

Just out on DVD, come watch the classic Disney film Pinocchio with us. Free popcorn!

Coming in July...

Thursday July 2nd at 7:00 pm
Summer Reading Program Kick-Off ~
New Hampshire Audubon's Wings of the Night: Owls and Bats

Join us as the NH Audubon brings some wildlife into the library! While both of these nocturnal animals rely heavily on their sense of hearing to survive, each has its own amazing way of catching prey. A live owl and hands-on educational props will help us learn how these creatures benefit the natural world. All are welcome, and kids are encouraged to sign up for the Hancock Library's Summer Reading Program at this event. Don't miss it! Refreshments.

Wednesdays at 2:00 pm from July 8th -August 5th
Kids' Summer Film Fest

Stop by the library to cool off in the Daniels Room and enjoy some free popcorn! Schedule of films to be announced.

Also coming this summer....Ductigami, Rock Band, and more!


For the Grown ups...

Tuesday June 2nd at 7:00 pm
First Tuesday Book Club

Join us for the last book group until September. We'll be discussing Jonathan Harr's book The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece.

Thursday June 4th at 7:00 pm
Liberty is Our Motto: The Songs & Stories of the Hutchinson Family Singers
Co-Sponsored by the Hancock Historical Society
Made possible by a grant from the NH Humanities Council

Originally from Milford, New Hampshire, the Hutchinson Family Singers were America’s most popular musical entertainers for much of the mid-19th century. They achieved international fame with songs advancing social reform and political causes such as abolition, temperance, women’s suffrage, and the Lincoln presidential campaign of 1860. Steve Blunt (in character as John Hutchinson) tells the Hutchinsons’ story and shares their music with audiences of all ages. Selections include: “The Old Granite State,” “Get Off the Track!” and “Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground.”


Thursday June 11th at 7:00 pm
Time Travel with Horses: Exploring Earliest NH Roads from Peterborough to the Connecticut River with Francelia Clark

Francelia Clark will talk about her journey on horseback on the area's old roads from Peterborough to Charlestown. As she writes in her book, "The earliest settlers' roads in New England have long been concealed by forest or highway. But the roads leave their marks. Some of them can still lead us across country. This is a story of finding their stories, of uncovering the old roads of a particular landscape -- but it could be another landscape. This is also about exploring a familiar region in a new way, first by foot and map, then in partnership with the trail horse for which the roads were laid." Don't miss this fascinating story!

Tuesday June 30th at 7:00 pm
380 Million Years to the Present with Charles Kerwin, PhD

Charlie Kerwin will rock our world with information about the geology of Hancock and New Hampshire. Dr. Kerwin is currently an Adjunct Professor of Geology at Keene State College; he received his PhD from UNH in 2007.

Don't forget that you can donate food to Peterborough's food bank right here at the library. Our donations are really making a difference - keep up the good work!