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Clark Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Programs (Read & Bead and Summer Reading Flowers, Challenge, & Raffle) will be ending this month. We will stop accepting registrations on August 15, and Summer Reading participants will have until Saturday, August 29 to submit handouts and raffle entries, collect reading rewards, etc.

Raffle winners will be selected and declared in early September, once the wrap-up process is complete. Be sure to double check the rules for whichever Program you or your child are registered for, and don’t miss the deadline!

Summer 2026 Invitational Art Exhibit

Rooted in Community

Arts@Clark! celebrates its seventh summer exhibition with a special invitational. This exhibition honors the artists, craftspeople, and artisans who have come together year after year to build a supportive and creative community of shared artistic expression. The Library’s Summer Art Exhibit has taken root and flourished, growing beyond its origins as a meaningful response to the pandemic into a vibrant, interconnected network that spans artistic mediums, generations, and neighboring towns beyond Bethany. At its heart, Clark Memorial Library is a place where people come to engage, connect and grow – making it the perfect home for a community built through art.

There will be an artist reception in the Community Room on August 29, 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Be sure to stop by and meet some of our longtime artistic contributors!

Featured Artists

Carole Abbate
Diane Chandler
Grace Kenney
Gigi Lawrence
Sharon Morgio
Elizabeth Hundt Scott
Pamela Sorensen
Kim Ahrens
Lucy DiMeo
Candace Klein
Robin McCahill
Eva Mugno Muneyyirci
Rosemary Serfilippi
Mel Unger
Jeanette Wimmer
Brenda Burt
Wendy Frieden
Carol Lambiase
Bonnie McCutchan
Elizabeth Orsini
Roberta Solimene
James Vanderberg

Are you planning an end-of-summer day trip? Don’t forget that the Library has eight Museum Passes that provide free or reduced admission to a variety of museums and attractions in Connecticut, including Beardsley Zoo, Wadsworth Atheneum, and Dinosaur State Park’s Exhibit Center! Museum Passes can be checked out just like books, but they can’t be renewed or put on hold. For a full list and additional information about each pass, visit the Museum Passes page on the Library’s website: bethanylibrary.org/museum-passes

Bedazzled Books is Back!

Bring your favorite book to the Library from 5:00 – 7:00 PM on Wednesday, August 5 or 2:00 – 4:00 PM on Saturday, August 8, and make it sparkle with bedazzling gems!

This program is for participants ages 15+. You must bring your own book to bedazzle, but all other materials will be provided. Please consider that more detailed book cover designs will be more difficult to accent with the gems.

The program will take place in the Library’s Community Room – space is limited. There will be a maximum of 15 participants and registration is required. Contact the Library at 203-393-2103 or clarkmain@bethanylibrary.org to register; if you register but cannot attend, please let us know as far in advance as possible so that your spot can be opened back up.

 This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Arcade and restaurant Dave & Buster’s has generously provided the Library with tickets that provide 60 minutes of unlimited gameplay at participating locations! In addition to the various Summer Reading prizes and rewards that patrons can already receive through our Summer Reading Programs, we will be raffling off 12 pairs of tickets at the end of the summer. Patrons who have participated in any of our Summer Reading Programs – of any age, and whether you’ve gone through dozens of books this summer or only read for a few hours – will be included in the drawing. And there’s still time to sign up if you haven’t already, so stop by as soon as you get the chance and join in the fun!

We will contact raffle winners in early September. Please note that ticket use is limited to one per person, per visit.

D&D Shorts

D&D Shorts is a new program for players who have already attended one of the Library’s Intro to D&D sessions, or otherwise have prior experience with the game! The program will take place upstairs in the Teens & Tweens area on alternating Saturdays, 1:00 – 4:00 PM, starting on July 18.

Up to 5 players will participate in 1-4 session “one-shot” adventures using premade characters. Registration is required. The program is for all ages, but players will be matched by age when possible, and may be asked to wait to join an age-appropriate group at Library staff’s discretion. Children under 12 must have a caretaker present in the Library during the program’s runtime, in accordance with CT General Statutes. Players (and/or caretakers) will be informed of how many sessions a given adventure is likely to take, and are expected to determine their availability in advance. Players who register after a group is at max capacity can be added to a waitlist; first-time players will be given priority when a new adventure starts.

To register, call the Library at (203) 393-2103 or email Antonio at astrumolo@bethanylibrary.org and provide a player name and age, caretaker name if applicable, and contact information (email preferred).

Have you seen our Nutmeg Book Displays?

Right now, Clark Memorial Library’s Children’s Room and Teens & Tweens Area both have Nutmeg Book Award displays featuring the 2027 Nutmeg Nominees, as well as the 2026 Nutmeg Winners! Whether you’re just looking for a good summer reading book or plan to vote on which of the Nominees will become next year’s winner(s) in April, you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy. Every Nominee has been selected from hundreds of submissions from children’s and school librarians – not to mention kids themselves! – from across the state, so you know they’re the best of the best!

If you don’t see a physical copy of the book you’re looking for, remember that many Nutmeg books are also available in ebook or audiobook format via the Library’s apps – Libby, Palace, and Hoopla. Palace even has a curated Nutmeg booklist featured on its homepage!

Comic Book Club

After the success of our Comic Book Workshop in January, we’re happy to be able to offer more comic-creation programming this summer! Join local artist James Vanderberg at the Library on Tuesdays, July 14, 21, & 28 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM for Comic Book Club!

During Comic Book Club sessions you’ll explore cartoon drawing, narrative storytelling, and autobiographical comic making, and work with simple tools and no-fail prompts to ignite your creativity, create your own characters, and tell your own stories. Whether you love reading graphic novels, making comics, or simply reading the Sunday funnies, you’re sure to find this program fun and engaging!

Comic Book Club is intended for ages 10 and up, but no previous artistic experience is needed. All supplies are provided. This is a drop in program – feel free to attend as many or as few sessions as you’d like! – but space is limited, so try to arrive as close to the starting time as possible.

Summer Open Sew

Saturdays | July 11, 18, & 25 | 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Join us on Saturday afternoons in July for our Summer Open Sew sessions, a chance to work on your latest needlework project – quilting, sewing, or mending! These drop-in “open studio” sessions are a chance to ask for pointers, show off your expertise, and enjoy shared interests and camaraderie. Sessions will be in the Community Room. The Library has invested in some beautiful sewing tools for everyone to use (special thanks to the Friends of the Library!), and this is a great option for anyone who works full-time. We hope to see you there!

Duct Tape Crafts!

We will be making duct tape crafts on Wednesdays in July, from 4:30 – 5:30 PM in the Teens & Tweens Maker Studio. We have the supplies to make wallets, clutches, and earrings – come join us and get creative! This is a drop-in activity for ages 12 and up.