Your community library needs its community’s opinions right now. The library is asking Belmont residents — library users or not – to take a short survey (six questions) as we adapt our plans for the next few years. The survey link is available on the library’s website and social media April 1 though 15. A printed copy is available at the library. We look forward to sharing the results. The week of April 4-10, 2021 is National Library Week, a time to highlight the essential role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The theme for this year’s National Library Week is “Welcome to your library,” which promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building and that everyone is welcome to use their services. Whether people visit virtually or in person, libraries are accessible and inclusive places that foster a sense of belonging and community through learning, discovery and exploration. During these challenging times, libraries of all types have been going above and beyond to adapt to our changing world by expanding their resources and continuing to meet the needs of their patrons. We here at the Belmont Library are trying something a little different for storytime right now. There’s a month-long themed display – coming up, April Showers – take one or two books and a craft/STEM kit. Wednesday mornings we’ll post a short video (about 5 minutes) on the library’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Choose from two take n’ make projects in April. Both upcycled greenhouses and flower gift bags come with all the supplies needed to make these decorations. Stop by the library or call for curbside pick-up to make these fun projects your own. The non-fiction book group is reading Taliban Shuffle/Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by Kim Barker. Now a major motion picture titled Whiskey Tango Foxtrot starring Tina Fey: From tea with warlords in the countryside to parties with drunken foreign correspondents in the “dry” city of Kabul, journalist Kim Barker captures the humor and heartbreak of life in post-9/11 Afghanistan and Pakistan in this profound and darkly comic memoir. The group will meet online on April 8 at 1 p.m. E-books and audiobooks are available through nh.overdrive.com with your library card; physical copies are available at the library. Contact the library for meeting information. Our Friday Fiction book group meets remotely on April 16 at 10:30 a.m. to discuss Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another. E-books and audiobooks are available through nh.overdrive.com with your library card; physical copies are available at the library. Contact the library for meeting information. The Belmont Public Library is open six days a week and any time at belmontpubliclibrary.org, serving the community with books, digital resources, and cultural programming.
Mandie Hagan, second-generation owner of Rowell’s Services has chosen the late Mr. & Mrs. Ed Carey of Franklin as the March 2021 Hometown Heroes. A $500 donation in Careys’ name has been given to the Franklin High School Athletics Program from Rowell’s Services. “I grew up in Franklin and went to school with their kids and they were just a great all-around couple. They will be missed.” The Rowell’s Services Hometown Heroes Program recognizes residents for their commitment to keeping our community safe, happy, and healthy. Rowell’s Services is grateful for these local heroes who serve tirelessly to make New Hampshire a safe place to call home, and who work endlessly to respond to critical needs in the community. Rowell’s Services specializes in drain cleaning, septic services, heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, sewer pump installation, septic system design and installation, sewer and water line repairs, excavation and more.
Join the Village for our annual spring Clean-Up Day on April 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Clean-Up Day is the perfect way to reconnect with the Village, serve your community, and celebrate the beginning of spring. Canterbury Shaker Village is currently accepting applications for this summer’s Artist-in-Residence Program. Visual artists working in any discipline of the visual arts are encouraged to apply for a two-week residency. Visit shakers.org/whats-on/the-arts-at-canterbury for more details and to download the application. Please send completed entries to csvjuror@gmail.com by May 1.