Yearly Archives: 2024

An artist reception will be held on June 15th, 2:00 – 3:30 PM for the local artists featured in our Arts@Clark! exhibits for June and July, Karen & Tom Cebula.

Karen, a Northford artist, studied art at Southern CT State University and taught art at public schools for 25 years. Now retired, she focuses on painting with acrylics and is inspired by nature: “I am moved by the light, the color and the texture – the feel of the place.” Her work will be on display in the Community Room.

Wooden carvings made by Karen’s husband Tom will be on display in the downstairs display cabinets. Early in life, Tom chanced upon a display of decoys carved by famous carvers. He was inspired to try his hand at carving and enrolled in workshops with Connecticut woodcarvers Joe Cieslowski and Frank Swiatek to develop skills from knowledgeable instructors. Tom has focused on letter carving signs, as well as three dimensional animals such as fish, birds, and decoys.

Be sure to stop by during Library hours and take a look at both of their work!

Our book displays have metamorphosed to match the theme of our Summer Reading Kickoff for June! Read about bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators, learn more about insects and their relationships with humans and the environment, or enjoy some fiction featuring not-so-creepy-crawlies in starring and supporting roles. Stop in and pick up a book today… and don’t forget to attend our special What’s the Buzz? Presentation on June 8th, 2:00–3:30 PM!

What’s the Buzz?
Saturday, June 8 | 2:00 – 3:30 PM

This summer, our Pollinator Pathway garden will be part of a research project tracking the movement of bees through pollinator gardens in the Bethany area. We are pleased to have Breahna Gillespie, Ph.D. (a research scientist from the Department of Entomology at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station) here to talk with us about her work and the research she will be conducting this summer.

Come learn about how bees are tracked as pollinators, and the work that is being done to encourage pathways throughout Connecticut. Plant some seeds and take home a pot to add a pollinator-friendly plant to your garden. All ages – all fun!

Welcome to the Tween Nutmeg Book Club at Clark Memorial Library!
 
If you are between the ages of 9-13, we hope you can join us as we explore the 2025 Nutmeg Book Award Intermediate Nominees. Meetings will be held June 13, June 27, and July 11 from 5:45-6:30 PM in the Library. Read 1-2 books (or more!) from the list of ten and then share what you loved, hated, or need more of!
 
We will choose books at our first meeting, and discuss them at the second and third. Come to one or all three dates! For more information, contact the Library at (203) 393-2103.

Silent Book Club
2:00-3:30 PM on June 11, July 9, & August 13

We invite our adult patrons to join our community of readers in the Bethany chapter of the Silent Book Club! Take some time to read companionably in the comfort of Clark Memorial Library. This is a “bring your own book” activity – no assigned reading and no pressure. Come for refreshments and an hour of quiet to focus on your latest read. Afterwards you are welcome to chat and share titles, but the hour of reading time is strictly sweet silence.

Need a new book? Come a bit early to browse our shelves, and then dig in!

The Bethany Community School’s LEGO Club will be meeting at Clark Memorial Library again this summer! The program is open to patrons of all ages; drop-in from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Wednesdays, starting June 5th. We have both LEGO and DUPLO blocks. Stop by and get creative!

The Library will be kicking off its Summer Reading Program on June 8th!

Young patrons can take part in our Read & Bead program, which will run throughout the summer during Library hours. Pick up a Read & Bead Chart in the Children’s Room and check off a box for each 20 minutes of reading you do over the summer. You’ll earn one bead or charm for each checked-off box on the chart – by the time summer is over, you’ll have an amazing personalized necklace celebrating your reading achievements!

The Library will also be providing Reading Journals for the CT Reads! Governor’s Summer Reading Challenge. You can count your summer reading time towards both the challenge and your Read & Bead Chart!

The growing season is in full swing! Garden Tomes are sprouting on the Library’s displays, featuring guides for gardeners and aspiring botanists, stories set in gardens and on farms, and protagonists who care for their local natural and green spaces.
Stop by and pick a few!

Don’t forget, there’s a permanent Horticulture and Gardening display upstairs, just outside of the Teens & Tweens area – and our nonfiction collection also includes a selection of books recommended by Sustainable Bethany.

Clark Memorial Library will be participating in the annual Great Give event on Wednesday, May 1 and Thursday, May 2. This 36 hour event raises money and awareness for many causes important to our region, with valuable matching funds and prizes from The Community Foundation, the Valley Community Foundation and other generous sponsors. Please visit the Bethany Library Association’s donation page on the Great Give website during the event to support Clark Memorial Library with a donation – any amount helps!

This Great Give campaign, we are focusing on expanding arts programs that support local artists and reach Bethany citizens of all ages. From Arts@Clark! exhibitions that are available year round in the Community Room, to our Annual Public Art Exhibit, our goal is to showcase the vibrant arts community in Bethany. We hope to continue to offer these free events, as well as bring in local artists for additional workshops and presentations to build on our ongoing commitment to library programming that reaches adults, children and families.