June 21- August 17

Click on each calendar for a larger image
(* special events subject to change)

Get ready for Summer Reading at Baxter Memorial Library! This year, we’re pulling out all the stops. There will be awesome Summer Reading Kits packed with activities to do all summer long, lots of kid-centered programs each week, your choice of cute, die-cut sticker every time you check out books, fun weekly scavenger hunts, make-it-yourself buttons, and tons of cool prizes you can enter to win for completing reading and writing challenges!  

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Summer Reading Packets

In addition to all sorts of fun activities (coloring and activity pages, scavenger hunts, make-your-own-comics, build-your-own-mini-‘zine, design-your-own-trading-cards), this year’s Summer Reading Packets feature hundreds of reading activities, and each one you complete earns you a ticket for our prize raffle! Choose from all sorts of cool prizes like a Folkmanis great white shark puppet, a color-changing unicorn nightlight, a gift card to the Norwich Bookstore, and a special Magic the Gathering deck!

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Weekly Activities

Mondays: Laid Back Lego
Stop by Mondays from 3:30 to 4:30 and build the weekly Lego challenge – or not! Maybe you want to build your own thing – or work to build something collaboratively. Maybe you just love to sort the Legos by shape and color. Hey, whatever works for you! This is Laid Back Lego. No rules – just lots of Lego fun!

Tuesdays: Practice Reading to Ms. Shana
Tuesday at 1:15, you can practice your reading skills by reading to the librarian. Ms. Shana loves to be read to, and she’s the most non-judgmental and encouraging listener! The library won’t be open to the public, so even shy readers can come out of their shells in this joyful reading environment. Contact Ms. Shana at sharonbaxterlibrary@gmail.com for more information.

Thursdays: Preschool Storytime
Join us for a laid back weekly story time Thursdays at 10:30. Stories will be geared toward preschoolers, but younger and older siblings are welcome, too! Stories, activities, and general merriment – woohoo!

Thursdays: Magic the Gathering
Thursdays are Magic the Gathering Day at Baxter! Gaming starts at 3:00. Don’t know how to play?  No problem!  Need a deck?  Borrow one of the library’s!  Get ready for some Magic-al summer fun!

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Special Events
* all special events subject to change)

Summer Star Party
Friday, July 7, 8:30pm*
Come celebrate the library’s new lend-able telescope with a special star party!

Baxter’s Show-Off Show
Wednesday, July 19, 5pm*
Have something you want to show the world? Maybe something from your garden, a cool rock, your new shoes, that great song you just learned, a story you wrote, a funny impression, a souvenir from a trip, your invisible friend, a photo of you as a baby…? Whatever it is, you can show it off at the library! Join us for a fun even that includes snacks and general merriment!

Summer Dance Workshop with Lucia
Thursday, August 3, 5pm*
Come attend a special creative movement workshop where dancers of all ages will use imagination and exploration to play with movement, dance, and each other. Open for all ages and abilities! Last year’s workshop was AMAZING! You don’t want to miss it!

Lucia Gagliardone (she/her/hers) is a Vermont-born choreographer and dance artist, who deals with themes of healing and community, water, disintegration and wholeness, and various iterations of the self in her work. Lucia has premiered eleven original live and film dance works, which have been presented by The Living Room in Portland, Bowdoin College, The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Atlas Performing Arts Center, and more. She has performed in works by Reggie Wilson, Olga Aru, Katy Pyle of Ballez, Aretha Aoki, Vanessa Anspaugh, Gwyneth Jones, and as a principal dancer for Flock Dance Troupe under the artistic direction of Carol Langstaff.

Summer Reading Wrap-Up Party and Prize Drawing
Saturday, August 19, 2-4pm*
Let’s celebrate the end of Summer Reading with a party!  The library will host a summer party with a balloon artist, music, snow cones, and our much-anticipated raffle drawing for Summer Reading prizes! 

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Makerspace

Baxter Memorial Library has a Makerspace filled with fun things to do. There are Keva planks, blank shrinky dinks, origami paper, foam pieces, various construction sets, a wooden geoboard, Makey Makey, Squishy Circuits, a coding mouse, and more!  The materials are available anytime during open hours, so stop by and build something today! (Psst – you might just have to help the librarian learn how to use some of this wonderful stuff!)  This project was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

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Themed Learning Kits for Checkout

What’s a themed learning kit, you ask?  Let’s say you want to go birdwatching.  You can check out the Birding Kit which contains binoculars, a field guide, a CD of birdsongs, and a few kids’ books about birds.  Or maybe you love to tell stories.  Check out the Storytelling Kit with two decks of story cards, a set of story dice, printouts of comic panels and story writing/drawing paper, and (of course) a few books on storytelling.  The learning kits are made possible by a grant from the American Library Association.

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Games for Checkout

We’ve also got lots of cool puzzles to check out!

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Museum & Park Passes

Maybe you want to check out one of Vermont’s cool museums or state parks. Baxter might just have the discounted or free pass you’re looking for! Passes have a one-week checkout.

VINS: $5 admissions, up to 4 people
Billings: Free admission up to 4 people
ECHO: $7 admissions, up to 4 people
American Precision Museum: Free up to 2 adults and 2 children
Birds of Vermont: One free admission with one paid admission
Vermont State Parks: Free day admission for carload of up to 8 people
Vermont Historic Sites: Free day admission for carload of up to 8 people