Clapp Memorial Library

RPG Night - Lost Mountain Saga
2026-05-12 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-06-09 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Break out your dice and join us for a monthly game!
Our current RPG campaign, Vaesen: The Lost Mountain Saga & Other Tales, is a dark Gothic setting steeped in Nordic folklore and the old myths of Scandinavia! Dive into mysteries where old struggles against the new, and myths come alive.
Players can expect to encounter ancient mysteries, old Nordic folk tales, social intrigue, and unspeakable horrors lurking in every shadow as they travel across the North and slowly uncover the truth.
Our RPG campaigns meet monthly on the 2nd Tuesday from 6-8PM.
Space is limited! Email tmannino@cwmars.org to ask about seats at the table, future campaigns, or other any questions.
Previous campaigns have included Spelljammer (Dungeons & Dragons) and Ghostbusters: a Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game!
Program is for adults 18+, our Teen RPG programs are listed separately.

Janet Crosier Book Talk
2026-05-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us for a presentation and book signing with author Janet Crosier. Her novel, Shadows on the Heath, imagines the missing three years of Heathcliff’s life from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Copies of the book along with Janet’s latest novel, Weymouth House, will be available for purchase.
Janet Crosier is an adjunct English Professor in Western Massachusetts and member of the Brontë Society, Modern Language Association, and Straw Dog Writers’ Guild. She has published her research, poetry, and several short stories with the International Academic Forum, New Dimensions in the Humanities, Common Ground, and the University of Massachusetts.

Wednesday Whodunnits
2026-05-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Our Mystery Book Group is held on the second Wednesday of each month at 2:00 p.m. Join us as we discuss a different mystery novel each month. Copies of the current month’s pick available at the library. Email mmarszalek@cwmars.org with any questions.

Anime & Manga Club
2026-05-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library is hosting an Anime and Manga club for tweens and teens in grades 6-8! The club meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 4-5pm in the library’s Activity Room. During club meetings, we will watch 1-2 episodes of an anime, discuss manga, share artwork, eat snacks, and more! Registration is required–email macona@cwmars.org to sign up.

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2026-05-14 17:00 - 18:30, 2026-05-21 17:00 - 18:30, 2026-05-28 17:00 - 18:30, 2026-06-04 17:00 - 18:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet weekly at the library to socialize and work on their various projects. Whether you’re interested in knitting, crocheting, felting, weaving, embroidery, needle point, sewing, or another fiber art, you’re welcome to join the fun.

Teen Advisory Board (May 2026)
2026-05-15 16:30 - 17:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library’s Teen Advisory Board will have its last meeting of the school year on Friday, May 15th from 4:30-5:30PM in the library’s Activity Room. Free pizza will be provided as we celebrate this year’s accomplishments and talk about opportunities for summer programming and volunteering. Teens who have attended any TAB meetings during the past school year are invited and can email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register.

An Introduction to Nature Photography for Children
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.

Clapp Critics
2026-05-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Our fiction book club, Clapp Critics meets every 4th Monday of the Month. Email mmarszalek@cwmars.org with any questions.

Plant Swap
2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Bring a plant (or not!) to the library and swap it for a new one. The program takes place on the library lawn. Monthly on the third Tuesday of the month from May to September.
This program is funded by the Belchertown & Around Plant Swap

Transform Your Yard to Support Pollinators: A 12 Step Program
2026-05-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Many people now realize the importance of pollinators and other essential wildlife. They want to make their yard pollinator-friendly, but don’t know where to start. This talk will step you through the process of evaluation, planning, and implementation, with many options for large and small changes.

Teen Book Club (May 2026)
2026-05-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library has a book club for teens in grades 7-12! This Teen Book Club is in conjunction with the MA Teen Choice Book Awards (MTCBA), the only book award in the state selected by teens. Each month teens will read and meet to discuss one book from the nominee list. May’s meeting will be Wednesday, May 20th from 3:00-4:00PM. Teens will discuss Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library’s circulation desk and on the Libby and hoopla apps. Snacks will be provided at the meeting. Email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com with any questions.

Clapp Writing Group
2026-05-20 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-06-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library hosts a bi-weekly writing group for adults aged 18+. Whether you write romance, mystery, fantasy, non-fiction, poetry, children’s books, or screenplays, you’re welcome to join us! Come meet with other writers and share what you’ve been working on over the past month, work on your writing, and more. If you are interested, contact Annie at the library to sign up: macona@cwmars.org

Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library Meeting
2026-05-21 18:30 - 19:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
All are invited to the The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library Board Meeting in the Activity Room at 6:30pm. For information email friendsofclappmemoriallibrary@gmail.com
http://www.friendsofclapplibrary.org/
​The Friends of Clapp Memorial Library is a volunteer not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising monies to assist the Library beyond the ordinary scope of the Library’s budget to reach its potential in our community. The group’s additional purpose is to promote and maintain close relationships between the Library and the people it serves, to increase public awareness of Library resources, and to encourage community participation in Library activities.

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.

Library Closing: Memorial Day 2026
2026-05-25 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed in observation of Memorial Day

SFF Book Club
2026-05-26 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
A monthly book group for lovers of high fantasy, hard science fiction, fable, far future, and all of the speculative fiction options.
We meet online via Google Meet.
Upcoming reads:

The Last Hour Between Worlds / Melissa Caruso (6/23)
Sunward / William Alexander (7/28)
A Letter to the Luminous Deep / Sylvie Cathrall (8/25)
Kaiju Preservation Society / John Scalzi (9/22)
Of Monsters and Mainframes / Barbara Truelove (10/27)
The Mimicking of Known Successes / Malka Older (11/24)

To sign-up or ask questions email Tegan at tmannino@cwmars.org

Love and Loss After Wounded Knee: A Book Talk with Julie Dobrow
2026-05-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Wednesday, May 27 at 7pm at the Clapp Memorial Library, Tufts University Professor Julie Dobrow shares the tumultuous and storied lives of Charles Eastman, and his wife, Elaine, former Belchertown residents. Like most star-crossed lovers, they came from vastly different worlds. Elaine Goodale, a white woman who grew up on a farm in the remotest part of the Berkshires, was a poet, writer and teacher who’d come to the Dakota Territory in 1884 to teach Native American children. Ohíye S’a, or Charles Alexander Eastman, was a Santee Sioux, born in Minnesota and one of the only Native Americans educated at Dartmouth College and Boston University Medical School. He’d come to Pine Ridge as a reservation physician. Elaine and Charles improbably met in December 1890, and more surprisingly, fell in love. And then the Wounded Knee Massacre happened, and changed everything. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Ukulele Play Along (Virtual Event)
2026-06-01 19:00 - 20:00 | 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!

Kinti Ensemble
2026-06-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Tuesday, June 2 at 7pm, the Clapp Memorial Library will be hosting the musical duo, Kinti Ensemble. Kinti is named after the Quechua word for hummingbird, qʼinti, and, like their namesake, builds a bridge between North and South America. Inti Curi Cachimuel is a virtuosic Quichua indigenous musician and composer from Otavalo, Ecuador with fluidity in a wide range of styles from traditional Andean to jazz. Cellist Rebecca Hartka has always concurrently explored a variety of styles and improvisation. With a strong impulse to connect across cultures, Hartka was inspired to travel to Cuba and the Yucatán, Mexico in 2019 and 2020, where she collaborated with Mayan musicians in concert. The duo has been inspiring audiences since 2021 in a range of venues throughout New England with a unique sound rooted in the music of their Celtic and Andean indigenous ancestors, as well as original looped and partially improvised compositions inspired by the natural world. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

What "YA" Readin' Book Club
2026-06-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The library’s What “YA” Readin’? Book Group, a group for adults who read Young Adult books, will meet Thursday, August 6th at 7:00PM in the Select Board Meeting room at the Town Hall to discuss The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the circulation desk. New members are welcome!

Teen Crafternoon: Show Your Pride with Perler Beads!
2026-06-05 16:00 - 17:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to a special Pride-themed Teen Crafternoon on Friday, June 5th at 4:00PM in the Clapp Memorial Library’s Activity Room! Teens will show their pride or allyship by making Pride-themed perler bead keychains and magnets. No prior experience with perler beads is necessary. Space is limited; email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Magic: the Gathering
2026-06-06 10:30 - 13:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us for Magic the Gathering in the Activity Room. Bring your own deck or use one of our learning decks. Everyone is welcome, however players must be fluent readers. Players under the age of 10 must have a caregiver who is at least 14 years old on the Library premises. Join us for every session or just one – it’s up to you!
We will have two instructors to help get games started and assist with the rules of the game. No registration is required. Join the email list so if the group needs to be postponed, we can notify you, by sending an email to Jennifer Whitehead, jwhitehead@cwmars.org.

Pride Movie Matinee: Were the World Mine
2026-06-09 15:00 - 16:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Grab your popcorn for this program series! Tuesdays in June we’re showing a series of films for Pride Month in our Activity Room! Features include a Hayes-code era classic, a teen coming of age, parents helping their son propose, and a documentary. Snacks provided, no registration required.
Were the World Mine (2008), TV14, 1hr 36min
A coming of age romance at a private boy’s school where a gay teen is cast as Puck in his school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, ending up with a love potion that causes havoc in his conservative town.
Starring Tanner Cohen, Nathaniel David Becker, Zelda Williams, Judy McLane, and Jill Larson.
Public performance rights provided through Kanopy
