Category Archives: grants

Tumbling into fall!!!

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Gay-Kimball Library Troy Communicator – October

By Erin George, Director

From gazing at the Harvest Moon, a trip to Alabama, a salsa contest, and a fantastic visit with Author Peter M. Hanrahan, we’ve “fall-en” quickly into the new season! Fall won’t slow us down! This month, we will be welcoming a videographer to the library to be part of a CLiF movie on why literacy is important for all ages. We will also be slowly shelving more than 20 new audio titles for kids and adults as part of our ALA grant for accessibility!

That said, we have substantial grant funding for computer literacy programs. We don’t want to commit to a particular program until we hear more from you. If you are interested in brushing up on your computer skills, have specific skills you would like to learn, or have ideas around the types of computer literacy we could offer, please let us know! We will do what we can to meet YOUR needs.

We are pleased to announce that we recently had a BARD application approved for GKL! This means we will be able to serve patrons with vision impairments through programs that read Braille and more. We will soon receive software access through the Library of Congress and be able to implement it on our library computers and other devices.

We are in need of donations of candy for our upcoming Trunk or Treat event. Please drop bags of candy off at the library during open hours if you are interested in helping out! We are also taking reservations from anyone looking to host a trunk this year! Are you someone who doesn’t get a lot of visitors on Halloween but would like to join in on the fun? This would be a great way to do it, and the library can provide you with candy to pass out! Give the library a call if you would like to host a trunk!

After the final summer reading tallies, we want to offer a huge congratulations to Tristan Chasse, our top reader, whose goal was 150 books and who managed to read 167!!! That’s a record breaker! Fantastic job!

Upcoming October events:

·        October 8 at 5 pm – Judith Black Program – Humanities-to-Go through NH Humanities: Meet Lucy Stone: Enter the Antebellum World of the Abolition and Women’s Rights Movements

In this first-person interpretive program, Judith Black introduces American Lucy Stone, the first woman hired by the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society as a public speaker and the “Shining Star” of the Abolition and Women’s Rights Movements. The presenter dispels well-worn platitudes about the antebellum North by interjecting historic and personal truths about these social reform movements. Her presentation also paints a dynamic and detailed picture of what it takes to change the world you are born into. Follow Lucy as she makes her case for tax resistance, her challenges to marriage laws and motherhood, and her pro-Emancipation response to the Civil War. Go with her to The American Equal Rights Association Convention in May 1869, where she eloquently supports the 15th Amendment, which gave African-American men the vote. 

  • Thursday, October 15 at 4 pm – Jabberwocky Tea with Miss MaryLee!

This event will include a snack and craft and is open to all ages. “Jabberwocky” is a famous nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll featuring a classic heroic quest, a triumph of good over evil, and a playful subversion of language. Published in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass, it tells the story of a young boy who listens to his father’s warning, takes his sword, hunts and kills a scary monster called the Jabberwock, and returns home victorious. MaryLee has it memorized!

  • Cook the Book, Thursday, October 22 at 5 pm – There’s plenty of time to sign up! We are cooking from Garden to Table by Kayla Butts. Families are welcome to join and participate! We will be using at least one ingredient from our community garden when possible. Come down to the library to pick your recipe and join us for a fun, community meal!
  • Trunk or Treat – Held in the Gay-Kimball Library parking lot during Trick or Treat hours for Troy.

We are currently working on scheduling more events for the remainder of 2026 such as Under the Stars Ken Burns moving screening and Grinchmas! Follow our Facebook page to learn more and stay up to date with GKL activities and programming.  Have a fantastic, colorful fall!

Our Hours:

Tuesday – 10:00 am – 7 pm

Wednesday & Thursday – 2 pm – 7 pm

Saturday – 10 am – 2 pm

Do those hours not work for you?  You can make use of our 24/7 Library Lockers!

Come One, Come All for One of the Quirkiest Stories of Them All!

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Imagine growing up with a circus in your front yard? Author Veronica Francis doesn’t have to imagine. She lived it. And she’s coming to Troy, NH, to tell the story! Francis, author of Circus Towne, will speak at the Gay-Kimball Library in July about her unique life story and memoir. Circus Towne is a comical memoir about a girl in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire, who grew up in an amusement business that her father started in 1973. Circus Towne is not just a book, it was also a tourist attraction in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, featuring a traditional live circus from Sarasota, Florida, performing four times per day, every day for three summers. And the show goes on…

Gay-Kimball Library has received a Civic Life and Belonging grant from New Hampshire Humanities to present “What’s Your Story?” to include her tale! “What’s Your Story” will occur on July 30 from 6 to 8 pm at Gay-Kimball Library in Troy, New Hampshire. This event is free, will include refreshments, a keepsake gift, and is geared toward adults. Attendees will not only hear more about Veronica’s story but will also learn more about themselves and their neighbors. You do not have to be a Troy resident or Gay-Kimball Library patron to participate.

This program is a storytelling presentation and workshop that highlights how stories connect us all. It will demonstrate connections and commonalities neighbors might not realize they have, despite living nearby for years.

Veronica is a New Hampshire storyteller, keynote speaker, and technology coach who helps people navigate change with clarity, confidence, and a sense of humor. Known for her warm presence and relatable storytelling, Veronica blends real-life experience with practical insight – reminding audiences that adaptability matters more than perfection, especially when the plan falls apart.

Veronica Francis helps organizations capture meaningful stories, preserve local history, engage communities, and communicate what matters most. For more than 25 years, Veronica has worked with nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses throughout New Hampshire, combining communications expertise with a passion for preserving the stories, traditions, and experiences that connect people to one another.

Whether she’s collecting community memories, leading a workshop, managing communications for a nonprofit, speaking to an audience, or helping people navigate new technology, Veronica brings curiosity, practical experience, and a healthy sense of humor to every project.

She believes every community, organization, and family has stories worth saving – and a few worth laughing about, too.

Veronica grew up in Twin Mountain along iconic Route 3, where her family ran a roadside motel before building Circus Towne, a full circus-themed amusement park next door. Summers were spent under a tent, backstage, and sometimes in the spotlight – learning firsthand that entrepreneurship, like life, rarely comes with perfect conditions.

Her childhood included:

  • tourists wandering through the yard asking for towels
  • a backyard circus with elephants and leopards
  • lost hikers, moose, and unexpected driveway visitors
  • lemonade stands that turned into spur-of-the-moment performances
  • a front-row seat to the everyday chaos of life on a busy highway

Those early experiences shaped her worldview, and became the foundation for her signature storytelling programs, Route 3 Ronnie and The Show Must Go On, where humor, resilience, and real-world lessons take center stage.

Sign-ups are not required to attend this event in the conference room at Gay-Kimball Library in Troy. However, we ask that you arrive by 6 pm as the presentation will start on time. We also ask that attendees are at least 13 years of age and able to sit for a two-hour presentation and workshop that will include interaction with those in attendance. If you are unsure if this program would be suitable for you or your family, please call the library and ask to speak to Erin at (603) 242-7743.

New Hampshire Humanities’ Civic Life and Belonging Grants fund events that improve civic life by bringing together community members and supporting meaningful discussion and perspective sharing through a cultural or humanities lens. New Hampshire Humanities connects people and ideas by funding and supporting statewide programs that inspire curiosity, foster civil dialogue, and explore big questions. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org. This event is made possible by New Hampshire Humanities, with support from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.