Category Archives: Events

Updates about one-time events.

The works of the Bethany Quilting and Friendship Group (also known simply as the Bethany Quilters) will be displayed at the Library during June and July. Their exhibit, “Quilting with Friends”, will display some of the quilts made by members during their time in the group. The exhibit will include both small and large quilts in the Community Room, as well as other fiber crafts in the hallway display cases. There will be an artist reception in the Community Room on Saturday, June 27 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.

The Bethany Quilters have been gathering weekly for over 10 years, spending time together to create quilts and other textile crafts. Some members were already expert quilters the first time they attended, some had never sewn a stitch. It doesn’t matter what project members work on: the biggest benefit is the conversation, support and friendship from the group.

The Bethany 250th Committee worked with the Bethany Quilters and the students of Bethany Community School to create the Bethany 250th Quilt for this year’s national celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signature of the Declaration of Independence. Students created artwork based on the prompt “What Does American Mean to You?”, and the Committee selected 20 winning entries to be worked into a quilt design by the Bethany Quilters. The Bethany 250th Quilt is currently on display in the main stairwell of the Library.

Exhibitors:

  • Bernadette Lowen
  • Carol Hotz
  • Ditas Benipayo
  • Eileen Ede
  • Linda Seaholm
  • Marcia Cohen
  • Susan Varanka
  • Wendy Frieden

The Library’s 2026 Summer Reading Program Kickoff is Saturday, June 13! Early sign-ups for our Summer Reading Programs start Tuesday, June 9, but we encourage you to stop by during the Kickoff even if you’ve signed up already, to take part in fun crafts and activities – and while you’re here, check out the displays we’re setting up as part of the state-wide America 250 Celebration as well!

There will be a special Rock Painting activity starting at 2:00 PM; visitors will be able to paint a custom rock to add to Rocky the Rock Snake, who is returning for the summer!

Summer Reading Programs:

  • Read & Bead: For children under 10. Create a custom necklace – earn a bead for every 20 minutes you read, and a charm for every 100 minutes. All participants will receive a necklace chain when they sign up, as well as a red, white, or blue starter bead.
  • Summer Reading Flowers: For children under 10. Help us grow our reading vine! Add a petal to your flower for every 20 min. you read, a ladybug or bee for every 200 min, and a butterfly for every 500 min!
  • Summer Reading Challenge: For children 10 and up. Start off with a Positive Pickle for inspiration – then hang a flower on our branch bouquet for every 30 min. you read, and pick another Pickle for every 90 min!Participants are automatically entered into a raffle – and everyone who completes the special Reading Challenge will be entered into an additional raffle sponsored by the Friends of the Library!
  • Summer Reading Raffle: For adults. We are once again encouraging adults to take part in Summer Reading by offering a raffle entry (online or in person at the Library) for every book read over the summer. One winner will be selected at the end of the summer to receive a special prize from the Friends of the Library!

America 250 Celebration Displays:

  • Revolutionary Reading book display (upstairs) and Celebrating 250 Years of American History book displays (upstairs and downstairs)
  • The Three Sisters Boundary Stone (upstairs)
  • Bethany 250th Quilt & Bethany Bicentennial Quilt (in the stairwell)
  • Arts@Clark!: Quilting with Friends exhibit (in the Community Room)
  • Children’s Guide to the Founding Fathers Storywalk (on the front lawn)

Thank you to everyone who supported Clark Memorial Library during the 2026 Great Give last week – we exceeded our goals with close to 100 donors, making this the most successful Great Give the Library has ever taken part in. Such strong support from our community is what allows the Library to continue to grow and improve!

If you missed the event but would still like to contribute, the Library’s Great Give webpage will continue to register donations through the end of May – and direct donations can always be made via the Support Us! page on our website.

We’ve worked hard to make Clark Memorial Library a special place for the children and adults of our community – a place where people can attend a storytime, a D&D session, or a stitch-along, create something in our Makerspace, or browse for a book, movie or puzzle to take home and enjoy. On Wednesday, May 6 and Thursday, May 7, the Library will be participating in the annual Great Give. 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 make a donation on the Bethany Library Association’s page on the Great Give website during the event to support Clark Memorial Library – any amount helps! This year, we’d like to ask for your help to let a little more light into our building: twenty-eight of our windows are in sore need of replacing. We are focusing our campaign on much-needed renovations to make our building shine just a bit brighter.

Thank you for all your help – the Library is a better place because of you!

Book Donation Day

On Saturday, April 25 the Friends of the Library will be on-site from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM to accept new and lightly used book donations for the Friends of the Library Book Sale in the downstairs entryway. Children’s books and recently published adult fiction will be prioritized, and hardcover is preferred over paperback, but all books in good shape will be considered. Thank you for supporting the Friends and the Library!

Donor Appreciation Day

Help Us Honor Our Donors!

The ongoing support of our donors is vital to the Library and benefit the entire Bethany community. Please drop by the Library any time between 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM on April 25 for our Donor Appreciation Day! Check out our thank-you display, enjoy a snack, and chat with BLA board members – be part of all the Library has to offer.
Come one, come all!

This April, Clark Memorial Library and more than 100 other public libraries in Connecticut will once again be taking part in the Connecticut Library Association‘s Passport to CT Libraries Program! We hope that participants will take the opportunity to visit as many participating libraries as possible to experience and appreciate their unique architecture, vibes, and collections. Remember, you can use your library card at any Connecticut library!

The Passport program is open to both children (under 18) and adults (18 and up). Visit Clark Memorial Library any time between April 1 & April 30 to pick up a Passport and have it stamped to get you started. Then take your Passport along as you visit other participating libraries (listed here), and be sure to get it stamped at each location!

If you visit at least five participating libraries, you can return your Passport to a participating library by Monday, May 11 to enter a state-wide raffle with a chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. Six winners will be announced in mid-June: one child and one adult who collected five or more stamps, one child and one adult who collected twenty-five or more stamps, and one child and one adult who collected the most stamps overall. Clark Memorial Library will also be offering a small prize to the Bethany patron who collects the most stamps, sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Have fun exploring, and good luck!

The Library will be closed on Saturday, April 4 for Easter. Make sure to pick up your reading material for the holiday weekend ahead of time!

Bethany Rid Litter Day is coming up!

Bethany Rid Litter Day is a community event to clean up trash on the sides of the roads of Bethany. This year Rid Litter Day will take place on Saturday, April 11, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Cleanup supplies (including safety vest, pick up tools, gloves and trash bags) will be available Friday, April 10, 5:30 – 7:00 PM at the Library, or by appointment. Contact BethanyRidLitterDay@gmail.com for more information.

Click here to join the effort!

Clark Memorial Library and Willow Tree Montessori invite families with young children (ages 0-3) to join a representative from Willow Tree at the Library for a special Montessori Morning storytime on Saturday, March 14! This is a drop-in event that will start at 10:30 AM.

Willow Tree hopes to share the love of language with rich vocabulary through stories, songs, and poems. For more information about Willow Tree Montessori, visit their website at wtm.earth.