Music with Pop (0-6 years old) Fall 2024
2024-11-13 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Music with Pop (ages 0-6)
10:30 am, Wednesdays, October 9, 16, 23, 30, November 6th & 13th
Music with Jacques Hooten aka Pop! Wednesdays at 10:30 am in the Children’s Activity Room, geared towards infants to age 6. On October 16 Music with Pop will take place in the Town Hall Auditorium. Spaces will be filled first by children who reside within Belchertown. Enjoy singing and dancing in this interactive music series. Limited space so register today.
Registration is required and will remain open until program is filled, just sign up for the Program and Jennifer Whitehead, Children’s Librarian, will be in touch! Funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/AYyiQCozqpSy37Ju6
When the Belchertown Public Schools have a delay or closure due to the weather, story times are canceled.

Wednesday Whodunnits
2024-11-13 13:00 - 14:00 | 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 1:00 p.m. Join us as we discuss a different mystery novel each month. Email mmarszalek@cwmars.org with any questions.

Beat the Winter Blues: Hygge for Teenagers
2024-11-13 17:30 - 18:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Do you get the winter blues when the clocks change? Are you interested in learning self-care strategies for the winter months? Have you been curious about hygge (pronounced HOO-GA), the Danish term for a sense of comfort, contentment, and pleasurable coziness? Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to the library’s Activity Room on Wednesday, November 13th from 5:30-6:30PM for “Beat the Winter Blues: Hygge for Teenagers,” a presentation and interactive program on self-care and the Danish concept of hygge. Tea, snacks, and hot chocolate will be provided. Attendees will leave with a newfound knowledge of self-care strategies and the concept of hygge, and will take home a “hygge kit” full of comforting goodies.
Teens can email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com or visit the library to register.

Preschool Storytime (3-5 year olds) Fall 2024
2024-11-14 09:30 - 10:30, 2024-11-21 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Preschool Story Time (3-6 years) Fall 2024
9:30-10:30 am, Thursdays, October 3, 10, 24, 31, November 7, 14 & 21
Preschool Story Time is for ages 3-5 and begins @ 9:30 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/cdLAMAwfmz4r3to8A. Registration open until all slots are filled. If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2024-11-14 17:00 - 18:30, 2024-11-21 17:00 - 18:30, 2024-11-28 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.

A Narrative of Dwight Village in Belchertown, Part 2
2024-11-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Michael Carolan returns for the second part of his narrative history of Dwight Village in Belchertown. Known as Logg-town, Hopetown, Dwight’s Station and Pansy Park, this narrowly-defined, eight-square-mile district has been subsumed historically into the larger community. The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher—the “most famous man in America”—gave his first sermon here. The hamlet was celebrated as the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln’s first biographer, J. G. Holland. Rare aquatic flower gardens drew hundreds through Dwight’s two railroad stops. And its chapel was established after a culmination of efforts said to have been initiated by Poet Emily Dickinson’s sister-in-law. There were feuds, accidents, suicides, drownings, fires, the millwright who outlived six wives and the portrait painter who rendered the place and its characters in colorfully detailed letters preserved to this day.
Michael Carolan writes for The Springfield Republican and his essays appear on New England Public Radio. He taught literature and writing at Clark University for 13 years.

Free Food Friday
2024-11-15 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Teens are invited to the library after school on the third Friday of the month for free snacks as they visit and use the library! Students must be in grades 7-12 and arrive between 2:00-3:30PM for a free snack, courtesy of the library, as supplies last.

Celebrate our Steinway with Stephen Page
2024-11-15 19:00 - 20:00 | MA
Join the Clapp Memorial Library on Friday, November 15 at 7pm at the Belchertown United Church of Christ for a Jazz Piano Concert by Stephen Page. The concert will be performed on the Library’s newly restored 1877 Steinway Grand Piano, which we are welcoming back to Belchertown! The piano restoration was made possible through a grant from the Belchertown Community Preservation Act Committee. Apple cider and donuts will be available following the performance. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.
www.stephenpagepiano.com

Fiber Arts with the Woolies
2024-11-16 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-23 10:00 - 12:00, 2024-11-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Woolies are a local fiber arts group who meet twice a week 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.

Babytime Story time (3-12 mo) Fall 2024
2024-11-18 09:00 - 10:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Babytime Story time (3-12 mo) Fall 2024
9:00-9:45 AM, Mondays, Sep 30, Oct 7, 21, 28, Nov 4 & 18
Babytime is for ages 3 – 12 months and begins @ 9:00 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/mcZ5J6jKN45yG6b7A. Registration open until all slots are filled.
If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

First Steps Storytime (12-24 months) Fall 2024
2024-11-18 10:00 - 11:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Monday Firststeps (12-24 months) Fall 2024
10:00-10:45 AM, Mondays, Sep 30, Oct 7, 21, 28, Nov 4 & 18
Firststeps is for ages 12 – 24 months and begins @ 10:00 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/9yf3619iGU1pxuco8. Registration open until all slots are filled. If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Afterschool Ghostbusters RPG
2024-11-18 14:30 - 16:00, 2024-11-25 14:30 - 16:00, 2024-12-02 14:30 - 16:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Calling all Belchertown Students for Afterschool Gaming
2:30-4:00PM, Mondays, October 28th – December 9th.
*No game on November 11th
It’s time to grab your dice and slip on that proton pack and play Ghostbusters. For fans of the movies and D&D. No experience necessary to join in on this zany adventure.
Step into the shoes of a new team of Ghostbusters for Ghost Toasties, a nutritious, humorous, fun-filled and life-and-death campaign to save the world from demons, eldritch horrors, and crazed advertising executives for Ghostbusters: a Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game
Program will run weekly starting in October for Middle & High School Students. Participants may bring their own nut-free snacks. Please inform Librarian & Game Master Tegan Mannino, if there is a day you will not attend.
Space is limited, sign up at https://forms.gle/7PGoWc6SP8q6pmiK9
Confirmations will be sent out to students confirming enrollment or waitlist status.
Please email any questions to tmannino@cwmars.org

Novel Writing Month Write-In
2024-11-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join us at the library for a Novel Writing Month Write-in! Bring your laptop, notebook & pen, or even your typewriter and participate in some timed word sprints, where we’ll challenge ourselves to write as many words as we can. This event is for adults 18+. For more information, contact Annie: macona@cwmars.org

Toddler Time (2 year olds) Fall 2024
2024-11-19 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Tuesday Toddler Time (2 years) Fall 2024
9:30-10:30 am, Tuesdays, October 1, 8, 22, 29, November 5, 12 & 19
Toddler Storytime is for children aged 2 years, and begins @ 9:30 AM. Registration is required. Our story times feature age-appropriate stories, songs, finger plays and art activities.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/TFK36x16Ns9B3bew7. Registration open until all slots are filled. If the program is full you will be placed on a wait list. Confirmations and program information will be sent out several days before the program starts.

Maltese Falcon Book Group
2024-11-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Have you ever wanted to take the time to discuss a novel in depth? In this six-session group we will discuss the classic detective novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. The discussion will be introduced and facilitated by retired professor David Spector, who has some expertise on birds in literature. There are, indeed, birds, including the famous title one, in this mystery story, but David hopes that discussion will range widely over many aspects of the plot and characters of this novel. After registration is confirmed, participants can pick up a copy of the novel to keep, while supplies last.
Registration & confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/DVBeozi3dHhqBYRG6
The group will meet 2 to 3:30 P.M. on Tuesdays, October 8, 15, 22, and 29, and November 12 and 19. There is no meeting on November 5. October 15th meeting location to be determined.
A public screening of the classic 1941 John Huston film version of the novel with Mary Astor, Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Elisha Cook, Lee Patrick, et al., is tentatively set for Tuesday, 3 December, at 7 P.M.

Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Reduction
2024-11-19 19:00 - 20:15 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Clapp Memorial Library is offering a Stress Reduction Awareness course. The eight-week introductory course starts on Tuesday, October 1 at 7 PM and runs every Tuesday through November 19. The course is designed to teach and practice mindfulness-based skills. Mindfulness meditation skills teach us to be fully present in the moment and, when practiced regularly, help decrease stress levels and improve general well-being and health. Skills covered in the course are gentle and free of judgment. Because each session of this course builds on the previous week, we ask that you register only if you are able to attend all sessions.
Registration closed. If you have any questions please email clapp@cwmars.org
This course will be taught by Magda Bechar, a retired nursing professor who has taught mindfulness meditation skills to many groups, including at the Clapp Memorial Library, for many years.
Sessions will take place on the main library floor, except for October 29th, which will take place in the Activity Room.

Clapp Writing Group
2024-11-20 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
PROGRAM FULL
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
2024-11-21 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.

Community Mosaics in Guatemala
2024-11-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Cynthia Fisher has been making trips to Guatemala since 2013 creating community mosaic murals. Come learn how she got started and how a small lakeside town is filling up mosaics that represent the indigenous community and beautiful natural environment.

Clapp Critics
2024-11-25 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.

SFF Book Club
2024-11-26 18:00 - 19:00 | Virtual, MA
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 Naming Song / Jedediah Berry (1/27)
The Children of Blood and Bone / Tomi Adeyemi (2/24)
The Tainted Cup / Robert Jackson Bennett (3/24)
Nettle & Bone / T. Kingfisher (4/28)
Stories of Your Life and Others / Ted Chiang (5/26)
The Last Hour Between Worlds / Melissa Caruso (6/23)

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

Early Closing: Thanksgiving 2024
2024-11-27 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will close at 5pm in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday. Safe travels!

Library Closing: Thanksgiving 2024
2024-11-28 - 2024-11-29 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed in observation of Thanksgiving
