Clapp Memorial Library

Cookbook Club (Sep 2025)
2025-09-12 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Friday, September 12, 6:30pm
Do you like browsing cookbooks and trying new recipes? In the Cookbook Club, we each make a recipe from a cookbook and bring it for everyone to try. Taste, enjoy, and chat with your new cookbook friends!
This month’s book is The Ikaria way by Diane Kochilas. Please register and choose a recipe by September 5.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/mPiAFca8fDv8Riov6
Registration & confirmation required. Program limited to 12 participants

Literary Monsters
2025-09-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
A unique perspective on the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Mary Shelley, Washington Irving, Emily Dickinson and others is coming to the Clapp Memorial Library through the marriage of original music, shadow puppetry and cinematography and special effects.
The group, known as Shadow, Sound, Spectacle, will be performing Literary Monsters on Saturday, September 13 at 4pm. The performance is a collaborative project of different pieces led by Northampton-based singer-songwriter Jess Martin, Boston puppeteer Amy West and musician/visual artist Abby Hanna, who is also Northampton-based. The production seeks to reimagine iconic gothic figures like Frankenstein’s creature, Poe’s raven and the Headless Horseman, as symbols of resistance, transformation and queer identity. The event is free and open to the public. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Ladies of the ‘70s with Laura Hicks
2025-09-15 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Do you enjoy the sweet voices of lady singers such as Linda Ronstadt, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell or Barbara Streisand? Would you like to learn a little more about these singers and listen to some of their songs? If so, then Ladies of the ‘70s with Laura Hicks is the event for you. Join us at the Clapp Memorial Library on Monday, September 15 at 7pm.
Laura Hicks is a local professional singer who enjoys delving into the lives of these ‘70s icons (the voices of her youth). In her 1 hour presentation sponsored by the Belchertown Cultural Council, Laura will lead you through a musical journey punctuated by educational information pertaining to 13 women who left their musical mark. She will then perform one song from each of the artists. Singing along is encouraged!!
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.

Seed Saving: the Why & How
2025-09-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
No matter your level of gardening, saving seeds is easy. Some people save seeds to save money, while others selectively save seeds from favorite varieties to further a particular trait. Come learn some simple seed saving basics as well as resources to further your knowledge.
Paulina Borrego, Wrangler of the Mass Aggie Seed Library at UMass Amherst. Sponsored by the UMass Seed Library.

Early Closing: Belchertown Fair 2025
2025-09-19 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will close at 4pm.

Teen Wellness Table
2025-09-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library will have a table on their front lawn from 2:00-3:30PM on September 19th for teens in grades 7-12 walking from school to the Belchertown Fair. Teens can stop by for free water, granola bars, and snacks as supplies last! This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Library Closing: Belchertown Fair 2025
2025-09-20 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed during the Belchertown Fair

Babytime Story Time (3-12 months) Fall 2025
2025-09-22 09:00 - 09:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Babytime Story time (3-12 mo) Fall 2025
9:00-9:45 AM, Mondays, Sep 22, 29, Oct 6, 20, 27 & Nov 3
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/qthJPwyhCQV9CQSW9. 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 2025
2025-09-22 10:00 - 10:45 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Monday Firststeps (12-24 months) Fall 2025
10:00-10:45 AM, Mondays, Sep 22, 29, Oct 6, 20, 27 & Nov 3
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.
This program is full, if you wish to be added to the waitlist please send an email to jwhitehead@cwmars.org with the child’s name, age and which program.

Handwriting the Constitution
2025-09-23 18:30 - 20:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
On Tuesday, September 23 from 6:30-8:30pm, the Clapp Memorial Library will be hosting Handwriting the Constitution as a culminating event for Constitution Week. The library will provide copies of the Constitution to participants and a variety of paper, pens, and other art supplies will be available for people to use. Handwriting the Constitution is a social art project begun in 2017 by artist Morgan O’Hara. It invites people from all walks of life to meet in public spaces to handwrite the US Constitution or other documents written to protect human rights and freedoms. This art practice was created so that people will know their rights, deepen their understanding of laws created to protect these rights, and to help resist negative thinking. To date approximately 2000 people have participated, both nationally and internationally.

Teen Book Club (Sep 2025)
2025-09-24 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. On Wednesday, September 24th from 3:00-4:00PM, teens will discuss Looking for Smoke by K. A. Cobell. 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.

Preschool Storytime (3-5 year olds) Fall 2025
2025-09-25 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Preschool Story Time (3-6 years) Fall 2025
9:30-10:30 am, Thursdays, Sep 25, Oct 2, 9, 23, 30 & Nov 6
Preschool Story Time is for ages 3-6 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/XcoGi3Naao7iMtkP8. 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.

Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Reduction
2025-09-25 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 Thursday, September 25 at 7 PM and runs every Thursday through November 20 (excluding October 16). 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 required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/EBkKApvgPQ899tpo9
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.

Music & Movement with Julie (ages 0-7) Fall 2025
2025-09-27 10:30 - 11:15 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
10:30-11:15 am, Saturday, Sep 27, Oct 4, 25 & Nov 1
Music and Movement with Julie. Join us for a music series on Saturday mornings at the Clapp Memorial Library. Julie’s programs let babies and young children explore music in a fun and creative environment. Her program is geared toward ages 0 to 7, but all ages are welcome! Registration & confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/yB5QHdk8H5irSzyB8
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Belchertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Toddler Time (2 year olds) Fall 2025
2025-09-30 09:30 - 10:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Tuesday Toddler Time (2 years) Fall 2025
9:30-10:30 am, Tuesdays, Sep 30, Oct 7, 21, 28 & Nov 4
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.
This program is full, if you wish to be added to the waitlist please send an email to jwhitehead@cwmars.org with the child’s name, age and which program.

Keir White - Love Songs
2025-10-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Join local vocalist, Keir White, for a special program of love songs and standards from artists such as Billy Joel, Josh Groban, Nat King Cole, and Elton John. Keir enjoys singing and sharing uplifting and inspirational music.
This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Jane Eyre Reading Group
2025-10-07 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 five-session group, we will discuss the Gothic novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The discussion will be introduced and facilitated by retired professor David Spector. After registration is confirmed, participants can pick up a copy of the novel to keep, while supplies last.
Registration and confirmation required, sign up here: https://forms.gle/NxmuC9z9L6pqDeuZA
The group will meet from 2 to 3:30 PM on Tuesdays. The first meeting is on Tuesday, October 7, with the next meeting on Tuesday, October 28 to give participants a chance to read the book. Subsequent meetings are on November 4, 18, and 25. All sessions take place in the Library’s activity room.
A public screening of the 2011 version of Jane Eyre is scheduled for Tuesday, November 18 at 7pm.

Drama 101
2025-10-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Teens in grades 7-12 are invited to the library on Wednesday, October 8th, a BPS early release day, for Drama 101, a teen program for drama and theater enthusiasts and those looking to try their hand at acting for the first time! From 2:00-3:00PM, the library’s Teen Services Coordinator (a former theater kid herself) will lead teens and tweens in various theater games. Weather permitting, the program will take place on the library’s front lawn; in the case of rain, the program will take place in the library’s Activity Room downstairs. Teens should email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com with any questions and to register.

Free Food Friday (Oct 2025)
2025-10-10 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Free Food Fridays are back! Teens are invited to the library after school on the second Friday of the month October-December 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. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.
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The Flood: a One-Person Play by Jason Mellin
2025-10-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Part of Quabbin Days
Join the Clapp Memorial Library on Friday, October 10th at 7pm when award-winning storyteller Jason Mellin presents “The Flood,” a one-person play blending personal narrative with historical reflection. Mellin, a director, poet, and performer, pulls from his own experience with bipolar disorder to connect the remarkable story of the drowned towns of Quabbin to his and our own experiences of learning how to survive when your world is falling apart.
This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Library Closing: Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2025
2025-10-13 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Library will be closed in observation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Friends' Book Sale! - Fall 2025
2025-10-13 16:00 - 20:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library Book Sale
Monday: 4:00-8:00pm Members Night – memberships available at the door
Tuesday-Friday: 10:00am-8:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-3:00pm
The Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library Book Sale accepts cash, check, and credit card.
Want to join the Friends? The Friends meet every third Thursday of the month at 6:30PM!

Taylor Swift Diamond-Painting
2025-10-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Celebrate Taylor Swift’s new album at the library’s Taylor Swift Diamond-Painting program for teens in grades 7-12! Make your own *bejeweled* Diamond-Painted Swiftie Eras bookmark as we listen to Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” at the library on Saturday, October 18th from 2:00-3:30PM! Space (and Eras) are limited so don’t wait a *fortnight*! Email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com or call the library to register. This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Halloween Spook-Tacular
2025-10-19 17:00 - 18:30 | Chestnut Hill Community School, 59 State St, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Belchertown Pollinator Garden, 57 State Street
Sign up for Sunday, October 19th or Thursday, October 23rd
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Children and their families are invited to the Belchertown Pollinator Garden and School Garden for an evening of fun, spooky stories and activities. Bring a flashlight, wear a costume, and be ready for some adventure. The kids in the theater program at the Recreation Department will start us off with an interactive skit. Then Jennifer Whitehead, Youth Services Librarian, will tell a somewhat spooky story.
Master Gardener, Debby Lapointe, will set up decorations throughout her pollinator garden and everyone can take part in a scavenger hunt in the dark. There will be crafts, cider, and cookies, too.
This program is geared towards children ages 4 to 11 and their families. Registration is required as space is limited, sign up here: https://forms.gle/5PdugN1TCL7rc9UB6
Donations for the garden are appreciated.

Who Goes There…
2025-10-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Are you interested in local paranormal investigations? Join us as Rob Goff from Agawam Paranormal showcases some local sites and investigations done there. Beginning with an introduction as to the historic value and events that happened there, we will get into the actual investigations that were conducted and finally end with the potential evidence captured on site. Learn about paranormal investigations and a little history from our own backyard.
This program is sponsored by Agawam Paranormal.

Belchertown Community Health & Wellness Resource Fair
2025-10-24 15:00 - 16:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
Clapp Memorial Library and BOAT welcome community members in need of accessing health care, mental health care, substance use resources, and family resources. Free lockboxes, Naloxone, Fentanyl Test Strips, and health screenings will be available. Health care organizations such as MA Behavioral Health, Hampshire Hope, Tapestry and more will be here in addition to Baystate Health’s Wellness on Wheels (WOW) bus! Free refreshments will be provided.

Teen Advisory Board (Oct 2025)
2025-10-24 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 meet Friday, October 24th from 4:30-5:30PM on the main floor of the library. TAB is a group of 7th-12th grade students who meet monthly during the school year to propose library programming for teens, provide input on teen services, volunteer, and have fun! At this meeting, teens will reflect on the Summer Reading Program and brainstorm ideas for next year. Teens can email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register. New members are welcome!

Halloween Harvest: Ghost Stories with Davis Bates
2025-10-24 18:00 - 19:00 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
The Clapp Memorial Library is excited to welcome back award-winning storyteller Davis Bates on Friday, October 24th at 6:00PM for a night of ghost stories, supernatural songs, and harvest tales. His performance will conclude with a workshop for teens on telling their own ghost stories. Will a certain library or local state school be a feature? Teens in grades 7-12 are asked to email clapplibrarytab@gmail.com to register.
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.

Gravestone Girls
2025-10-28 19:00 - 20:30 | Clapp Memorial Library, 19 South Main Street, Belchertown, MA, 01007, United States
“Welcome to the Graveyard!” is a 90 minute in-person ‘virtual tour’ chronicling cemetery art, history and symbolism. From colonial New England burial grounds of the 16 & 1700s, through the nation-wide rural cemetery movement of the 19th century and into 21st century locations, the program examines why we have cemeteries and gravestones, why they look like they do and how styles and art have evolved over almost 400 years. The presentation is robust with photographs of original gravestones and burial grounds from cemeteries visited by Gravestone Girls over many years, including plenty of content from Belchertown’s local haunts!
About:
Gravestone Girls create replicas of old New England tombstones in the form of wall hangings, magnets, coasters, mirrors, tombstone chocolate and more! Cast directly from originals still on cemetery landscapes, their art is a piece of history in your hand! “Keeping Our Dead Alive” through lectures, tours, classes and art, they work nationwide, raising cemetery awareness and teaching citizens the history buried under their feet.
This program is funded by the Friends of the Clapp Memorial Library.

Teen Book Club (Oct 2025)
2025-10-29 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. On Wednesday, October 29th from 3:00-4:00PM, teens will discuss Gwyn & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. 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.
