Tag Archives: Event

America 250 at the Library!

On Saturday, June 13, the Library will be taking part in a town-wide celebration of America 250, the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Stop by any time during Library hours to see our Revolutionary Reading book display and the Three Sisters Boundary Stone upstairs, the 2026 Bethany Celebrates America 250th Quilt and 1976 Bethany Bicentennial Quilt in the stairwell, a special Arts@Clark! exhibit by the Bethany Quilt & Friendship Group in the Community Room, and a Children’s Guide to the Founding Fathers Storywalk along the edge of the front lawn!

Our Summer Reading Kickoff will be happening at the same time, so be sure to sign up for the Read & Bead and Summer Reading Flowers programs (ages 10 and under), the Teens & Tweens Summer Reading Challenge (ages 10 and up), or the Adult Summer Reading Raffle while you’re here. There will also be crafts and activities, including a special Rock Painting activity starting at 2:00 PM.

Rock Painting

As part of our Summer Reading Kickoff on Saturday, June 13, the Library will be hosting a Rock Painting activity starting at 2:00 PM where visitors will be able to paint custom rocks to add to Rocky the Rock Snake. There will be a table set up outside, to the right of the Library’s main entrance; Rocky is back on display in the garden to the left of the entrance, and after the Kickoff he’ll be bigger and better than ever!

While you’re outside, be sure to check out the Children’s Guide to the Founding Fathers Storywalk on the Library’s front lawn – then head inside to see the rest of our America 250 Celebration displays and sign up for one of the Summer Reading Programs!

Summer Reading Flowers

This program is for children under 10, and will run alongside our Read & Bead program – so your reading times count towards both! When you sign up, you’ll receive a flower head that you can add a colorful petal to for every 20 minutes you read over the summer – and once your flower has fully “bloomed”, it will be added to our Summer Reading Garden in the Children’s Room! You’ll also earn a ladybug or bee to add to the Garden for every 200 minutes you read, and a butterfly for every 500 minutes. By the end of summer, we hope that the Summer Reading Garden will be bustling with life.

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

Summer Reading Challenge

This NEW Summer Reading Program is for children ages 10 and up! You’ll start off by receiving a Positive Pickle for inspiration – then hang a flower decoration on our “branch bouquet” for every 30 minutes you read during the summer, and pick another Pickle for every 90 minutes! You’ll be entered into the Participation Raffle if you return your reading log with at least 30 min of reading marked – but those who complete all 12 of the Reading Challenges in the reading log will also be entered into the Reading Challenge Raffle!

Participation Raffle Prizes:
– Copper Water Bottle
– Giant Tub of Popcorn
– Rechargeable Earbuds
– Pack of 200 Stickers

Reading Challenge Raffle Prizes:
– Copper Water Bottle
– Pack of 200 Stickers
– Guinness Book of World Records 2026
– The Ultimate Book of Random Fun Facts
– Leather Journal and Pen
– $100 Gift Certificate to The Clay Date

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
Jane Tintachart
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!

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!