Clapp Memorial Library

Ukulele Play Along (Virtual Event)
2024-06-03 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-07-01 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-08-05 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-02 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual, MA
Strum along with the Ukulele Play Along on the first Monday every month!
Grab your ukulele and play along – because playing your ukulele is more fun when you do it with others. We’ll be focusing on 3 and 4 chord songs, with lyrics and chords provided on screen. Participants will be muted, so don’t worry about how you sound!
To join, email Julie Stepanek (julie@musicjulie.com) for the Zoom link and to receive the songs for the program. Don’t have a Ukulele? Don’t worry – you can borrow one from us!

No Dig Gardening 101
2024-06-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
PROGRAM FULL! See you soon!
Join us at the Clapp Memorial Library on Tuesday, June 4 at 7pm for No Dig Gardening 101. This introductory course to the basics of the No Dig Gardening Method is perfect for beginners! Host Lindsey Baird of Oak & Ash Farm in Belchertown will teach attendees this low-maintenance garden strategy that’s not only easy to do, but helps improve soil health and is good for the environment. Learn the fundamentals of companion planting, seed starting, and feeding your soil, NOT tilling it. No matter how big or small your garden is, this method is a great way to start.
Attendees will leave with planting guides, companion planting charts and seeds or plants to get started. Everything they need to start their very first no dig bed!
Registration required.
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Herb Garden
2024-06-10 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
PROGRAM FULL – WAITLIST ONLY
Learn the joy and multitude of benefits that come from keeping an herb garden. Whether you want to grow an herb garden for culinary, medicinal or cosmetic uses, or just to create something beautiful to look at, this course is for you. Instructor Lindsey Baird of Oak & Ash Farm designed and planted her first herb garden at 11 and has been passionate about them ever since! She will talk you through the basics of growing herbs, as well as some simple garden layouts. You’ll leave with a collection of herb plants and the knowledge to create your own herbal oasis. Attendees will go home with martials on basic herb garden plans, list of herbs to try and their seasonality (annual, bi annual, perennial) as well as a pack of herb plants to bring home (basil, thyme, parsley, chive)
Registration required – sign up here: https://forms.gle/oxUc2cjUHC2wEVTq7
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion 101
2024-06-12 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual, MA
Virtual Event – click here to sign up
Knowledge can empower individuals to make cultural change. This program encourages individuals at all levels of understanding to learn about what it means to be LGBTQ+ and how to be stronger allies so our entire community feels welcome to be their authentic selves.
Ali Kane (she/they), of ALK Consulting, is a Queer nonprofit leader and lifelong learner committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and accessible world for individuals with diverse identities and experiences.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Joshua Hyde Public Library in Sturbridge, Charlton Public Library and the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, who we are partnering with for this event.

Birds of Prey with Wingmasters
2024-06-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Lawrence Memorial Hall (Town Hall) Auditorium, Belchertown, 01007, United States
This program is strictly for ages 5 and up.
Families, teens and adults are welcome as we kick off our summer reading programs.
Birds of prey, also known as raptors, are hunting birds characterized by hooked beaks and powerful grabbing feet armed with sharp talons. With some of the best eyesight and the sharpest hearing in the animal kingdom, raptors include eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. Learn about these different categories in a presentation that incorporates five live birds, including predation, the birds’ place at the top of the food web, their different hunting adaptations and their status in a rapidly changing world. Because many birds of prey are declining in number, this presentation also features one or more of the endangered raptors that we care for, and explains why these species face an uncertain future.
Wingmasters is a partnership of two people dedicated to increasing public understanding and appreciation of North American birds of prey. Julie Anne Collier and Jim Parks are both licensed raptor rehabilitators based in Massachusetts. Together they care for injured birds of prey. Most of the birds they rehabilitate can ultimately be released back into the wild, but in some cases the birds are left permanently handicapped.
This event is part of our Summer Reading Program and attending is worth a Kids SRP Raffle Ticket! Make sure to sign your child up for Summer Reading at clapplibrary.beanstack.com or via the Beanstack app.
Made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library and our Community Sponsors

Fresh Tea Gardens
2024-06-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Grow your own cuppa with your very own fresh tea garden! Host Lindsey Baird of Oak & Ash Farm has been growing and experimenting with her own herb and tea gardens since she was a kid and wants you to learn how fun it can be. Learn to think outside the box of the basic culinary herb garden and grow your own herbal teas for enjoying fresh or dried. Lindsey will go over the multitude of plants you can grow to add to your blend, and you’ll leave with a bouquet of fresh herbal tea to enjoy at home while you plan your own garden.
Attendees will go home with a list of plants to try growing, a basic tea garden plan and a small bouquet of fresh tea to make at home (enough for one pot of tea).
Registration required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/sii24NkG4FfHRiNH9
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Magical Girls & Fighting Dreamers: An Exploration of Queer Representation in Manga & Anime
2024-06-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual, MA
The Clapp Memorial Library is partnering with the Morrill Memorial Library and other MA libraries in offering a virtual program for teens for Pride Month! Click here to sign up!
On Tuesday, June 18th from 7:00-8:00PM, teen anime and manga fans are invited to watch as the MML’s Youth Services Librarian, Dina Delic, presents “Magical Girls & Fighting Dreamers: An Exploration of Queer Representation in Manga & Anime” on Zoom. Attendees will learn about the history of queer representation in manga and anime. This program will give an overview of queer representation throughout various series, from The Rose of Versailles to Yuri on Ice, and will answer your most pressing questions: What is shipping? What is the difference between yaoi and yuri? Why are the greatest love stories in anime always platonic?
Please note that this program may contain spoilers for some series. Interested adults are also welcome to attend this presentation.

1969 Stonewall Rebellion
2024-06-26 18:30 - 19:30 | Virtual, MA
Virtual Event – click here to sign up!
Join author Milo Todd on Zoom as he discusses the Stonewall Rebellion, a grassroots movement that sparked LGBTQ+ rights across the country.
What happened during the multi-night rebellion around the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969? What was the first thing thrown and who threw it? Who took part and who stayed away?Hear the details of what happened and how this ultimately led to the creation of Pride Month.
Note: This session includes mention of transphobia, racism, police brutality, slurs, murder, sexual assault, and misgendering/deadnaming
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Joshua Hyde Public Library in Sturbridge, Charlton Public Library and the Jacob Edwards Library in Southbridge, who we are partnering with for this event.

Edible Flowers
2024-06-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Thursday, June 27, 7pm
Smell your flowers, and eat them too! Learn about the many types and uses of edible flowers in this class hosted by Lindsey Baird of Oak & Ash Farm. Lindsey will go over which varieties and parts of flowers are edible, and then teach you how best to enjoy them. You’ll leave with recipes and a collection of edible flowers to try at home.
Attendees will go home with a list of edible flowers and their seasonality, as well as a box of edible flowers to enjoy!
Registration Required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/uYNog4Aw1JrbFwZj6
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

The Rescue of Angeline Palmer
2024-07-08 18:30 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Monday, July 8th at 6:30pm, come to the Clapp Memorial Library for a presentation by Cliff McCarthy, Stone House Museum archivist and author/editor of several books on Belchertown’s history. “The Rescue of Angeline Palmer” is the true story of a free-born, African American girl who was nearly kidnapped and sold into slavery in the pre-Civil War South. Orphaned at a young age and declared a ward of the town of Amherst, Angeline Palmer was “bound out” to work in the home of the family of Mason and Susanna (Dwight) Shaw of Belchertown. Only the desperate actions of three heroic Black men kept Angeline from bondage.

Gross, Cool, Weird Science
2024-07-17 18:00 | Lawrence Memorial Hall (Town Hall) Auditorium, Belchertown, 01007, United States
Join us at 6PM on July 17th at the Town Hall Auditorium for Gross, Weird, Cool Science – Things to make you go “EW!” “What?!” and “WOW!!!”
The world is full of gruesomely gross, wildly weird and incredibly cool things. Animals, insects, microbes, plants, even the earth itself is full of unbelievable wonders waiting to be explored. In this program we uncover incredible things like…

real world zombies
fish that can climb trees
a creature that can grow a whole new body out of it’s head
an animal that can come back to life after being frozen solid
a worm with more butts than any other animal
the world’s most indestructible creature
pink lakes

Life on earth is endlessly fascinating and this program is designed to spark curiosity to discover more, and never stop discovering! Packed full of amazing examples of grossness, weirdness and coolness, this is a fast paced, fact filled program, with the same trademark blend of science and silliness as The Poop Museum!
This event is part of our Summer Reading Program and attending is worth a Kids SRP Raffle Ticket! Make sure to sign your child up for Summer Reading at clapplibrary.beanstack.com or via the Beanstack app.
Made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library and our Community Sponsors

Dr. Rosie
2024-07-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
July 18th, 2PM
Meet the author and illustrator of Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, an award-winning STEM picture book based on and informed by real-world veterinarians. Jennifer, the author, and Rozillia, the illustrator, will first tell the story behind the story of Dr. Rosie and then engage kids in an interactive reading.
Following the reading will be a hands-on activity where kids (and their grownups) diagnose and treat a stuffy. Each participant will receive a mini vet kit and diagnostic/treatment sheet to take home.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/a11gu7gDjzz7c12a9
This event is part of our Summer Reading Program and attending is worth a Kids SRP Raffle Ticket! Make sure to sign your child up for Summer Reading at clapplibrary.beanstack.com or via the Beanstack app.

Critters of Lake Wallace
2024-07-27 09:00 - 10:00 | Foley Field, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us on Saturday, July 27 to investigate fascinating creatures and critters in Lake Wallace. Join local biologists and parents Caralyn Zehnder and Will Duncan as we learn about the life cycles of aquatic invertebrates like dragonflies and damselflies and sample the lake to see what we can find. Geared towards ages 4 years and up.
9AM PROGRAM IS FULL. 10:30AM SESSION ADDED
Registration is required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/QCQrMQTv3ZqtUaLL6
We will meet at the end of the ball fields. Play clothes and bug spray are highly suggested. The 9am program has filled up, we are offering a second program at 10:30am.
Any questions, call the Clapp Memorial Library at 413-323-0417

Critters of Lake Wallace
2024-07-27 10:30 - 11:30 | Foley Field, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us on Saturday, July 27 to investigate fascinating creatures and critters in Lake Wallace. Join local biologists and parents Caralyn Zehnder and Will Duncan as we learn about the life cycles of aquatic invertebrates like dragonflies and damselflies and sample the lake to see what we can find. Geared towards ages 4 years and up.
Registration is required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/QCQrMQTv3ZqtUaLL6
We will meet at the end of the ball fields. Play clothes and bug spray are highly suggested. Our 9am program is full, join us for the 10:30am program!
Any questions, call the Clapp Memorial Library at 413-323-0417

Needle Felted Whales
2024-07-29 18:00 - 20:00, 2024-07-31 18:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Come learn the art of needle felting at the Clapp Memorial Library on Monday, July 29 OR Wednesday, July 31, 6-8pm. Local fiber artist Anna Sunschauer will teach you how to sculpt fluffy wool fiber into a whale using felting needles. No prior needle felting experience is necessary, but it is recommended that all participants have good fine motor skills to avoid injury with the sharp needles. All necessary tools and materials will be provided.
PROGRAM FULL, WAITLIST ONLY. This workshop is open to adults and teens.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/xwXxN9gFcrC44PmZ6
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Whalemobile
2024-07-31 18:00 - 20:30 | Lawrence Memorial Hall (Town Hall) Auditorium, Belchertown, 01007, United States
PROGRAM FULL
For ages 5 to 11. Children under age 10 must be accompanied by a caregiver age 14 or older.
Do you love marine life, but don’t have time to make it to the ocean this summer? Have no fear, Nile is here! This 43 foot life sized inflatable humpback whale is swimming to your local library for a fun, educational experience. Discover the remarkable similarities between whales and humans, and have the hands-on-experience of touching real whale artifacts!
Sign up for a 30 minute visit inside Nile the Whale at the Town Hall Auditorium! Visit followed by hands-on activities, so plan for a full hour for this interactive and fun program. Visits starting at 6:00PM, 6:30PM, 7:00PM, and 7:30PM!
Registration Required – sign up here: https://forms.gle/gUU8ogztPa2p4X857
https://thewhalemobile.com/

Duckworld
2024-08-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Come meet live ducks and learn about their diet, habitat, behavior and more. Duckworld Rescue at Ripley Farm will bring ducks and give children a chance to hold them and watch them swim.
This event is part of our Summer Reading Program and attending is worth a Kids SRP Raffle Ticket! Make sure to sign your child up for Summer Reading at clapplibrary.beanstack.com or via the Beanstack app.

Belchertown’s Connection with China
2024-08-05 18:30 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Monday, August 5th at 6:30pm, come to the Clapp Memorial Library for “Belchertown’s Connection with China,” a presentation by Cliff McCarthy, Stone House Museum archivist and author/editor of several books on Belchertown’s history. Belchertown has a deep, historic connection to China. Elijah Coleman Bridgman was the first American Protestant missionary to China beginning in the 1830s. He and his Connecticut-born spouse devoted their lives to bridging the chasm between the two worlds. Then in the 1870s, a group of Chinese students came to live in Belchertown as part of the innovative experiment called the “Chinese Educational Mission.”

Introduction to Homesteading
2024-08-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Adults, teens, and children aged 10+ are invited to attend our series of Homesteading Workshops led by local Zackery W. Zawalski. You can come to one, two, or all three, and learn about ways to grow and raise your own food and make use of the land you live on.
Friday, August 16: Introduction to Homesteading
Friday, August 23: Livestock Basics
Friday, August 30: Gardening Basics
Zackery Zawalski has raised livestock since 2010, including ducks, chickens, goats, doves, dogs, and a pig. He has helped his parents with their local 4-H club and has been a member of 4-H since 2013. Zackery takes pleasure in helping with his family garden since he could walk and still enjoys it to this day.
All workshops start at 6:00 PM at the Clapp Memorial Library and include a presentation and activity. These programs are funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

RESCHEDULED: Needle Felted Whales
2024-08-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
This is a reschedule of the July 31st workshop. Program is full.
Local fiber artist Anna Sunschauer will teach you how to sculpt fluffy wool fiber into a whale using felting needles. No prior needle felting experience is necessary, but it is recommended that all participants have good fine motor skills to avoid injury with the sharp needles. All necessary tools and materials will be provided.
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Livestock Basics
2024-08-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Adults, teens, and tweens are welcome to attend the second session in our series of Homesteading Workshops by local Zackery W. Zawalski: Livestock Basics. In this session, learn the basics of raising your own livestock and meet (at least) one very special guest from Zack’s own farm.
Friday, August 16: Introduction to Homesteading
Friday, August 23: Livestock Basics
Friday, August 30: Gardening Basics
Zackery Zawalski has raised livestock since 2010, including ducks, chickens, goats, doves, dogs, and a pig. He has helped his parents with their local 4-H club and has been a member of 4-H since 2013. Zackery takes pleasure in helping with his family garden since he could walk and still enjoys it to this day.
All workshops start at 6:00 PM at the Clapp Memorial Library and include a presentation and activity. These programs are funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Gardening Basics
2024-08-30 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Adults, teens, and tweens are welcome to the third and final session in our series of Homesteading Workshops by local teen Zackery W. Zawalski. In this session, Gardening Basics, learn how to start your own garden and pot your own plant to take home.
All workshops start at 6:00 PM at the Clapp Memorial Library and include a presentation and activity. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.
Friday, August 16: Introduction to Homesteading
Friday, August 23: Livestock Basics
Friday, August 30: Gardening Basics
Zackery Zawalski has raised livestock since 2010, including ducks, chickens, goats, doves, dogs, and a pig. He has helped his parents with their local 4-H club and has been a member of 4-H since 2013. Zackery takes pleasure in helping with his family garden since he could walk and still enjoys it to this day.
All workshops start at 6:00 PM at the Clapp Memorial Library and include a presentation and activity. These programs are funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Belchertown & the California Gold Rush
2024-09-09 18:30 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Monday, September 9th at 6:30pm, come to the Clapp Memorial Library for “Belchertown and the California Gold Rush,” a presentation by Cliff McCarthy, Stone House Museum archivist and author/editor of several books on Belchertown’s history. The California Gold Rush was an important event in American history, having an enormous impact on migration, land development, the slavery debate, and the nation’s economy. At least nineteen Belchertown men went west in pursuit of their dreams. Some played important roles in the development of California; some returned to New England and built on their western adventures to achieve positions of stature and importance in our communities.

Edible Palette Painting (Adults)
2024-09-25 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-09-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
September 25th, 3:00-5:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm
Library Activity Room (downstairs)
Learn how to paint with buttercream and royal icing in this Edible Palette Knife Painting class! Sarah Maroney of Cakes by Pip will work with participants on how to decorate 4 cookies together to include a pumpkin, flower bouquet, Sunflower, and fall leaves. The class will also go through what the difference between royal icing and buttercream is and how they are made. Decorating Boxes include a palette knife kit to take home and show off your brand new skills!
Registration & confirmation required, sign up for a session here: https://forms.gle/tsY3xJuvqNUhPqJ36
Both sessions are full, waitlists are open
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Belchertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, and by the Friends of Clapp Memorial Library
This session is for Adults. Edible Palette Painting for Kids is on October 1st, and for Teens on October 9th.

Edible Palette Painting (Kids)
2024-10-01 16:00 - 17:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
October 1st, 4:00-5:30pm
Library Activity Room (downstairs)
Learn how to paint with buttercream and royal icing in this Edible Palette Knife Painting class! Sarah Maroney of Cakes by Pip will work with participants on how to decorate 4 cookies together to include a pumpkin, flower bouquet, Sunflower, and fall leaves. The class will also go through what the difference between royal icing and buttercream is and how they are made. Decorating Boxes include a palette knife kit to take home and show off your brand new skills!
Registration & confirmation required, sign up for a session here: https://forms.gle/PNJUHS5vbEd7ECqY7
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Belchertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, and by the Friends of Clapp Memorial Library
This session is for Kids ages 8-11. A caregiver, age 14 or older, must be in the building for participants under 10.
Edible Palette Painting for Adults is on September 25th, and for Teens on October 9th.
