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events

Book Sale 2022 Debrief

August 29, 2022

Festival 2022 was a huge success!!! It’s been a few years since the big tent went up, and we picked up where we left off. We welcomed old friends who look forward to this event every year, and they thanked us for returning. 

The raffle winners are in…

Donna Y –  the Wine & Chocolate Basket

Cathy R – Baby Quilt

David H – Graphic Novels

Bob E – Local Restaurant Gift Basket

Nancy W – Banned Books Basket

Deb R – Cord of Wood

Susan F – Dollhouse

The grand total raised today was $5,100.98!!!!!   The breakdown is as follows:

                Books       $3,186.15

                Café               $325.50

                Cookies         $796.00

                Friends           $806.88

                Children’s      $37.45

Thank you to everyone who worked at the festival, baked, set-up, cleaned up, planned, and supported us.   We have an amazing library, an amazing staff and a cadre of people who are committed.  

A special thank you to Paula Johnson for being the person that makes this all come together year after year.   You work tirelessly, and we appreciate all that you do.

A big thank you to Discovery Books for picking up the left overs from our sale! 

The Friends of the Richards Free Library thank all who made our Book Festival such a great success. Special mention to Sugar River Bank and ProMania for their generous donations, and to all the volunteers who made it happen.

Coronis and Yoshi’s Markets provided water and ice to keep the Newport field hockey and football teams and our volunteers well hydrated!

Thanks to everyone who donated and bought books and made this community event something we all look forward to each year. See you on August 26, 2023!

Filed Under: Events, Friends of the Library, Fundraiser Tagged With: Book Festival, events, Newport NH, Public

Bookish Bakes

July 25, 2022

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!

Filed Under: Children's Programs, Children's Programs, Fundraiser, Summer Reading, Teen Programs, Youth Programs, Youth Services Tagged With: Announcement, events, Newport NH, Public

Colin Calloway receives 2022 Hale Award

June 1, 2022

We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2022 Sarah Josepha Hale Award is Colin Calloway. Calloway has been a professor at Dartmouth College since 1995 and has served 5 terms as chair of the Native American Studies Program. He has published 14 titles in the field of Native American and Indigenous and has edited 10 collections of essays and documents. He has received awards from the Missiquoi Nation of Abenakis and the Native American Students at Dartmouth. He was also selected for the American Indian History Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. His book, The Indian World of George Washington, was a National Book Award finalist in 2018, received the Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award, the Journal of the American Revolution Book of the Year Award, the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia Book Award, and the George Washington Prize in 2019.

The Richards Free Library Board of Trustees and Sarah Josepha Hale Award Board of Judges are pleased to host Mr. Calloway on Saturday September 24th. Tickets for a dinner at the Old Courthouse Restaurant will be available for sale at the library beginning August 22, 2022. Following the dinner will be a free event, open to the public at the Newport Opera House at 7pm which will include the award presentation and speech by Calloway. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.

Filed Under: Adult Programs, Events, Featured Content, Hale Award Tagged With: 2022, Abenakis, American Indian History Lifetime Achievement Award, Announcement, Calendar, Colin Calloway, Dartmouth College, Daughters of the American Revolution, events, Hale Award, Missiquoi Nation, National Book Award, Native American Studies Program, Public, Sarah Josepha Hale Award, The Indian World of George Washington

Children’s Programs for June

May 31, 2022

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!

Filed Under: Children's Programs, Children's Programs, Events, Youth Programs, Youth Services Tagged With: afterschool programs, Announcement, Calendar, events, June, Newport NH, Public, Services, Story Time, Teen Librarian

Children’s Programs for May

May 4, 2022


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

Filed Under: Children's Programs, Events, Youth Services Tagged With: afterschool programs, Calendar, events, Newport NH, Services

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