Teen Crafternoon: DIY Chalkboard
2026-02-09 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The library will host a Teen Crafternoon for students in grades 7-12 on Monday, February 9th from 4:00-5:00PM in the Activity Room. Teens will make their own DIY chalkboard wall-hanging: perfect for jotting down schedules, reminders, and doodles! All materials will be provided. Space is limited. Email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

BHS Art Reception
2026-02-24 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The public is invited to the Clapp Memorial Library on Tuesday, February 24th from 6-7pm for an Art Exhibit Reception for Elizabeth Texeira’s Studio Art 3, Studio Art 4, and Honors Art Classes at Belchertown High School. The reception will celebrate the young artists’ work, which will be on display in the library throughout the month of February. Light refreshments will be provided. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Smartphone Photography
2026-04-11 09:00 - 11:00 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Saturday, April 11 – Smartphone Photography with Linda Repasky
Belchertown Recreation Department, 66 State Street (behind the police station).
The classroom session will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, followed by outdoor practical sessions at Lake Wallace (weather dependent), so come prepared to walk a short distance to Lake Wallace and spend some time outside!
ViewFinder workshops are open to anyone, you do not have to be a Belchertown resident. Seats are limited, and registration is required. Click here to sign up.
Instructor: Linda Repasky
Linda is a Belchertown resident who enjoys capturing the beauty of local natural resources with her iPhone. She particularly enjoys exploring around the Quabbin Reservoir, as well as pursuing macro photography to capture the tiny details in nature that are so easy to overlook. Her iPhone photos have received recognition in numerous international photography competitions. You can see her work on Instagram @lindarepaskyphotography

Photography for Beginners
2026-04-18 09:00 - 11:00 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Saturday, April 18 – Photography for Beginners with Ed Comeau
The classroom session will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, followed by outdoor practical sessions at Lake Wallace (weather dependent), so come prepared to walk a short distance to Lake Wallace and spend some time outside!
ViewFinder workshops are open to anyone, you do not have to be a Belchertown resident. Seats are limited, and registration is required. Click here to sign up.
Instructor: Ed Comeau
Ed’s interest in photography goes back many years, but upon moving to Belchertown over 25 years ago this interest reached a whole new level with his proximity to the Quabbin Reservoir and access to the beauty of Western Massachusetts. While he can often be found sitting in some remote part of the Quabbin, waiting for wildlife to come his way, has also explored Maine, Alaska, and Colorado, resulting in a number of beautiful landscape and wildlife photographs. A number of local businesses have exhibited his works and his photographs have appeared in several calendars. He is a member of the Friends of the Quabbin Board of Directors, the Program Director of the Quabbin Photo Group, and has been an instructor for the Belchertown ViewFinder project since its inception. You can find his work at www.ComeauPhotography.com and on Instagram @edcomeauphotography.

Advanced Nature Photography
2026-04-25 09:00 - 11:00 | Parks & Recreation, 66 State Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Saturday, April 25 – Advanced Nature Photography with Mark Lindhult
The classroom session will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am, followed by outdoor practical sessions at Lake Wallace (weather dependent), so come prepared to walk a short distance to Lake Wallace and spend some time outside!
ViewFinder workshops are open to anyone, you do not have to be a Belchertown resident. Seats are limited, and registration is required. Click here to sign up.
Instructor: Mark Lindhult
Mark’s passion in photography is capturing the beauty of nature and the unique behaviors of birds and wildlife in their environment. As a Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Principle Emeritus at The Berkshire Design Group and a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, he brings his knowledge of landscape, ecology, design and composition to inform his photography and advocate for habitat preservation. His photographs have been exhibited at UMass Amherst in the Design Building Gallery, the US Fish and Wildlife Headquarters Gallery, Cooley Dickinson Hospital Gallery, Franklin Medical Center Gallery and the Baystate Medical Center Gallery. He has also granted permission to several non-profit groups to use his photographs in newsletters, reports, note cards and postcards, including the Friends of Quabbin, the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance and the Kestrel Land Trust.. You can see his work on his website at www.MarkLindhult.com.

An Introduction to Nature Photography for Children
2026-05-05 15:15 - 17:00, 2026-05-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Chestnut Hill Community School, 59 State St, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
There will be two ViewFinder photography workshops for children. These will be open to children 4 years old and above. Children up to the sixth grade must be accompanied and assisted by an adult. Maximum group size is 6 children. Click here to register.
Location: The School Garden in front of the Swift River Elementary School
Instructor: Holly is interested in the colors, forms, and patterns displayed throughout the diversity of life. She believes that photography allows us to look more thoughtfully and carefully at all of nature’s beauty, big and small. She volunteers with students at Swift River Elementary and in the Belchertown School Garden.

BHS and Swift River Elementary Present A Collaborative Art Show
2026-05-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The public is invited to the Clapp Memorial Library on Tuesday, May 5th from 6-7pm for a Collaborative Art Show featuring works by BHS and Swift River Elementary School students! The reception will celebrate Swift River students’ 2D monster drawings reimagined into 3D sculptures by BHS students. Light refreshments will be provided. Artwork will remain on display throughout the month of May. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

ViewFinder Submission Support
2026-05-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2026-05-26 17:30 - 18:30, 2026-05-27 17:30 - 18:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Taking part in ViewFinder, Belchertown’s all-ages photo contest? Come by the library for assistance submitting your photos online:

Saturday, May 23, 10am-12pm
Tuesday, May 26, 5:30-6:30pm
Wednesday, May 27, 5:30-6:30pm

What is ViewFinder?
A juried, all-ages, photo contest will run from March 21 through May 30. Photographs must be taken in Belchertown. Contestants will be juried alongside their peers in youth and adult age groups, and between wildlife, landscape, and macro/close up categories.
Winning photos will be printed and exhibited at the library in July, with a reception on July 1st at 6PM to celebrate the winners. Winners will receive a certificate and 5 postcards with their photo, and can pick up and keep their photo after the exhibit.

Fabric of the Revolution Workshop
2026-06-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On June 13 at 10am, local fiber artist Holly Field will be hosting an activity at the Clapp Memorial Library where participants can make their own copy of George Washington’s headquarters flag, the Washington Standard. This flag was flown during the Revolutionary War to mark Washington’s position in camp and on the battlefield. During the activity, participants will dye a Washington Standard of their own using a natural Indigo dye bath to color our flags blue. The cotton fabric we will be using has been pre-treated so that the dye will not stick to the area where the stars are, creating the star pattern as if by magic when the flag is removed from the dye. The dyeing process can be messy so please dress appropriately. This activity is limited to 18 participants, ages 10 to adult, and will take place on the front lawn of the library. Kids under 13 need to be accompanied by an adult. Click here to sign up.
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.

Sweet Seeds of Summer Drawing Series
2026-06-25 16:30 - 18:00, 2026-07-13 16:30 - 18:00, 2026-08-04 16:30 - 18:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Come explore using the basic elements of art (with a focus on line, shape, value) to learn to draw some summer fruits and their seeds! Each class is seeded with sketching, story, and the juicy goodness of summer fruits. We will slurp up some tasty stories as we read a book that celebrates each fruit we draw.
These are introductory, instructional drawing classes for kids 7 to 11 to be held in the Clapp Memorial Library’s Activity Room. During the class, we will work out our drawing muscles and draw the fruit from what we know. Then learn to draw what we see. Completed artwork from the first two classes will be put on display at the Library during the month of August.
Registration required. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/1YTr4WEsPwa5szkk9
Thursday June 25th – Tart Art – Let’s Draw a Lemon
Monday, July 13th – Sweet Sketches – Let’s Draw a Watermelon
Tuesday, August 4th – Peaches, Peaches, Peaches – Let’s Draw a Peach

ViewFinder Exhibition and Award Reception
2026-07-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us for a reception and awards ceremony on Wednesday, July 1 at 6pm at Clapp Memorial Library for the winners of the ViewFinder: Belchertown Nature Photography Contest. This contest, sponsored by the Clapp Memorial Library, Friends of Lake Wallace, Quabbin Photo Group, and the Belchertown Creative Economy Committee, showcases local photographers capturing the natural diversity of Belchertown. Light refreshments will be served. The winning photographs will be displayed at the Library throughout the month of July and, after that, will be on the Town of Belchertown website.

Zen Coloring with Crayons
2026-07-06 18:00 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us to create your own zen masterpiece with crayons! All experience levels welcome.
Marie Tucker will lead you step by step to make your own beautiful work of art.
Registration required. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/mNY9SWHF3niWJhv78
Celebrate Summer Reading with us! Sign up at clapplibrary.beanstack.com or via the Beanstack app.
This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Messy Outside Art Day
2026-07-18 10:00 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us at 10AM on July 18th for a morning of fun on the Library Lawn
Art fun for everyone who doesn’t mind getting messy! Visit the CML to create and explore with paint, glue, water, bubbles, shaving cream, and more. Wear play clothes, sunscreen, and bug spray and bring a towel. Activities are geared towards children ages 2-7, but all are welcome. No registration required. If we need to cancel due to inclement weather, we will post on our website and social media pages.
Messy Outside Art Day is part of our Summer Reading Program, Plant a Seed, Read! Join in on Summer Reading fun at https://clapplibrary.beanstack.org/ or through the beanstack app.

Comic Workshop with Jarrett J Krosoczka
2026-07-30 18:00 - 19:00 | Town Hall Auditorium, 1 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
July 30th at 6PM in the Town Hall Auditorium!
Join us at the Town Hall auditorium for an engaging live webinar with New York Times-bestselling graphic novelist Jarrett J. Krosoczka! Learn how to make comics and collaborate live with JJK to create characters and get a look around his art studio! This program is for ages 7 and up. No registration required but students must be registered for either our children’s or teen’s summer reading program.
Funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library and our Community Sponsors.
