Richards Free Library

Engage, Enrich, Entertain

Youth Services

Richards Free Library Book Sale

Making their return this year are the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale and the annual Friends of the Library Cookie Walk!!! Here is the rundown of library-related events taking place Saturday, August 27th in conjunction with the Apple Pie Craft Festival:

  • The Friends of the Library Book Festival will take place under the tents on the side lawn of the library from 9 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.! Raffle tickets to win some special baskets of goodies will be on sale as well!
  • The Friends of the Library Cookie Walk will take place under the tent on the right side of the front lawn of the library starting at 9:00 a.m. and ending when the cookies are all gone! What is a cookie walk you ask? Basically, you purchase a bag for $5.00 and walk around the tables under the tent, filling your bag with bundles of cookies.
  • The Library Board of Trustees will be offering breakfast on the library porch starting at 9:00 a.m. Drop by and purchase a cup of coffee and a quick bite!
  • Mo, our wonderful children’s librarian, will be offering a kid’s craft under the tent on the left side of the front lawn of the library from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.! In addition, Ali, one of our fabulous library assistants will be offering kid’s face painting from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon!
  • The library will also have a booth on the Common providing information on our fall programs. Show us your library card and you will be entered to win a “Basket of Books and Book Swag”!!!
  • Additionally, the library itself will be open extended hours, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.!

The library is NO LONGER accepting book donations for the book sale. If you have some that you want to drop off, PLEASE WAIT and drop off next week, after this years sale is over!

If the Cookie Walk caught your eye and you love to bake cookies, we are looking for cookie bakers to donate cookies for the Walk! If interested, please contact Janice Brehio at outreach@newport.lib.nh.us.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 27th. We look forward to seeing all of you!!!

Bookish Bakes

The Book Festival is fast approaching, August the 27th. We will have the Book Sale tent, Children’s tent, Friends of the Library tent, and the Cookie Walk!

The Cookie Walk is a win for everyone! For just $5, you can walk from tray to tray and fill a paper bag with cookies, bars, and other goodies. Your money goes to support Youth Programs at the library throughout the year.

The RFL needs your baked goods for our Cookie Walk! Consider donating your favorite bakes. Contact Janice Brehio at Outreach@newport.lib.nh.us to let us know you’re interested in bringing a bake!

Here are some of the baked goods that we librarians made for the Author Event this last Saturday:

Peanut Butter Fudge from Sally Bernier, Assistant Director

Coat a 9×13 pan with butter. Set aside 1 cup each of marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, flour. Boil 4 cups sugar, 1 cup whole milk, 6 tbsp butter for 20 minutes. Take off stove and quickly stir in marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and flour. Pour into 9×13 pan and place pan on rack to cool. When cooled, cut into squares using a hot knife. (I boil water, pour it over the knife and wipe the knife dry.)

Rock Cakes from Justine Fafara, Library Director

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 oz (3/4 of a stick) butter
  • 3 oz (1/3 cup) sugar
  • 2 oz (1/2 cup) currants or golden raisins
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 oz milk
  • (optional: pinch of mixed spice)

Preheat oven to 425°F (215°C)

Line cookie sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder (and mixed spice, if using) and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg. Next, mix in the sifted flour and milk. As it comes together, add the dried fruit. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. With two forks, make “rock-like” cookies on the tray about 2″ apart. They should not be smooth. Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake in the upper part of the oven for about 12 minutes. (It could range from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven.)

original recipe from christina’s cucina

No Bake Bars from Ali Wood, Library Assistant

  • 1 cup SUGAR
  • 2 tablespoons COCOA, DRY POWDER, UNSWEETENED
  • 1/4 cup MILK
  • 1/4 cup MARGARINE
  • 1/4 cup PEANUT BUTTER
  • 1/2 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT
  • 1 1/2 cups OATS
  • 1 pinch SALT

Put sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine on medium heat and cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and cool for one minute. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, oats or oatmeal and salt, stir well. Spread the mix onto a baking sheet, greased and lined. let mixture cool and set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Children’s Programs for June

Children's Corner

This June we are incredibly excited to welcome Molly Dipadova to the youth services staff as our Teen Librarian! You probably already know Molly, since she is a Newport local who’s worked at the front desk with us before. Now Molly is working towards her Master of Library and Information Science, and will be helping with the YA collection and with teen programming.

June is one of the busiest times of year for so many of our library-loving families, so we are focused on providing a chill, relaxing month here in the children’s rooms as we lead up to our summer reading program!

Storytimes:

Family Storytimes on Wednesdays at 11:00 will move outside to our big side yard unless it’s wet! This traditional family storytime features 3 picturebooks with songs and rhymes. 

~On Wednesday, June 15th we’ll read books that celebrate Pride Month! 

~There will be no storytime on June 22nd as Ms Mo will be away. 

Farmers Market Storytimes are held every (dry!) Friday at 4:00 at the Farmer’s Market on the Common. We start reading at 4:00 and usually read until at least 4:30. 

~On Friday the 17th we’ll have Rainbow Bubbles at storytime to celebrate Pride month!

Programs:

June 6th: 3:30 – 4 Afterschool Bingo for Books! Play bingo and win free books. Parents and little siblings are welcome! We have gently used books for children of all ages available as prizes, and we’ll play until everyone wins.

June 9th, 12-8pm: Drop in Activity: Black Out Poetry. Start with a photocopy of a book page, and then use a marker to black out all the words you don’t want in your poem.

June 14th 12-6pm Drop in Teen Craft: Pride Paper Hearts. Make a rainbow paper heart to decorate the library or your room!

June 28th: Summer Book Walk Launch! Come read it any time, night or day!

June 30th 1pm SUMMER READING KICK OFF! 
Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) will visit and bring some scaly reptile friends to meet and learn about! This is the first day that the summer reading program will be open for registration. Come pickup your reading chart, bookmark, and brag tag and start earning beads and books for all your summer reading!

Children’s Programs for May


May Story Times

Family Story Times will continue each Wednesday at 11:00 am, usually featuring 3 picture books and some songs and rhymes to enjoy with our littles! I gear this story time to anyone who will listen to picture books– usually ages 0-6. This story time will move outside to our big side yard as soon as the weather stays warm enough.

Little Wiggle Time, our shorter, action-focused storytime for our wiggliest little ones, will continue on Friday evenings at 5:00, until the Newport Farmer’s Market begins on the Common across the street on May 27th, which will be our first Farmer’s Market Storytime. I’ll be on the Common with my wagon, blankets, and books from 4:00 until 5:00, or I run out of listeners!
*I don’t hold storytimes on the Common if it’s raining or too wet.

May Afterschool Programs

Teen Hangman Hangout, May 11th, 2:30-3:30- for tweens and teens ages 10-18. Come play hangman, Apples to Apples, or whatever else we feel like and eat snacks with Mo.

Afterschool Bingo For Books! May 16th, 3:30-4:00-Play bingo and win free books. Parents and little siblings are welcome! We have gently used books for children of all ages available as prizes, and we’ll play until everyone wins.

Kids Craft: Memorial Day Pinwheels! May 26th 3:30-4:00- Stop by the library to make your own pinwheel for Memorial Day to decorate your room or yard, or to remember someone special on Memorial Day.

Summer Reading Program

It’s getting closer and closer to summer reading! What are you and your kids excited to read this summer? Let us know so we can consider adding it to our collection!
As always, you can reach Ms Mo at mchurchill@newport.lib.nh.us

Little’s Wiggles Time: Fridays at 5

We’re starting a new weekly program on Friday evenings at 5:00! Little’s Wiggles Time is a movement-focused storytime for our wiggly littles who may not be so sure about sitting still for a traditional storytime. We’ll sing songs, dance, and move our bodies, read a book, and work on some early literacy skills while we’re having fun! This program is for anyone who has ever worried about their kiddo fussing through a book at storytime! It will be held inside the library so our littles can move around without being in danger of running into the road.

The parents we asked, requested an evening time and a Friday time, so we’ve done our best compromise and chosen Friday evenings at 5:00. If this time does not end up working for folks, we may end up moving the day and time.

Please note that since this program is held inside, grownups will be required to wear masks. Littles can of course try to wear their masks, but we won’t require our tiny friends to keep them on if they are struggling. See you on Friday!