Our Gardens are Making News! Thanks again to CCCD for helping us grow!
Tag Archives: community
Wrapping up Summer Reading and Opening a New Chapter!
From science fairs and storytellers to mud kitchen harvests and toad teas, summertime at Gay-Kimball Library has had no shortage of good times, memories, and laughs. As a community, we’ve managed to pull together two fruitful container gardens, a traditional garden, and a pollinator garden. Troy’s kids now confidently know the difference between pollinator-friendly plants and those that aren’t as friendly. They understand why pollinators are important to our local habitat, and so much more. Thanks to our CCCD grant, we have not only been able to implement these gardens but are now using the food from the gardens to help feed people fresh produce.
Whether you don’t feel like driving to Keene, or need fresh vegetables, we put our garden veggies in our front lobby as they are available. They are free for anyone to take with no questions asked! Please do take them as we don’t want them to go to waste, and this is for everyone in the community!
While we are so proud of the gardens and the teamwork they’ve produced, we’re also thrilled at how much reading was done over the summer! Our kids and adults did a great job with summer reading once again this year. Congratulations to all who participated!
Here is a look at just a few of our summer reading stats as of August 4:
-CHILDREN’S SUMMER READING STATS-
Total children who participated: 44 children
Total books read: 1,959 books
Main age that occurs (Mode): 9 years old (appears 7 times)
Highest goal: 200 books (set by Addison Morash)
Lowest goal: 4 books (set by James Dewing-Baird)
Highest number of books read: 159 books (tied between Abigail, James, and Joseph MacDonald)
-ADULT SUMMER READING STATS-
• Total participants: 19 people
• Total books read: 84 books
• Highest goal: 20 books (tied between Tara Chasse and Kathy Stanton)
• Lowest goal: 3 books (tied between Crystal Lerio and Kristen Tilton)
• Highest number of books read: 15 books (tied between Hailey Dewing-Baird and Tara Chasse)
TOTAL BOOKS READ
· Total participants: 63 people (44 children + 19 adults/older participants)
· Total books read: 2,043 books (1,959 from chart one + 84 from chart two)
· Highest goal: 200 books (Set by Addison Morash in chart one)
· Lowest goal: 3 books (Set by Crystal Lerio and Kristen Tilton in chart two)
· Highest number of books read: 159 books (Tied between Abigail, James, and Joseph MacDonald)
Now, with school back in session and the leaves ready to change color, we’re looking forward to fall programming. By request, we are bringing back our Cook the Book program! We will be cooking recipes from Garden to Table Cookbook by Kayla Butts. If you are interested in selecting a recipe to prepare and share with the group, please stop by the library to sign up! We picked this book as part of our Plant a Seed: Read and Farm to Table themes at the library this year. We’re hoping to use ingredients from our very own vegetable gardens as part of the recipes! Call or stop by the library to learn more about our plan for Cook the Book – Family-friendly Farm to Table edition!
I will be heading to Montgomery, Alabama this month to attend and present at a national conference for the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. Not only will this be a great opportunity to put our special town on the map and show off the hard work we’ve done with our gardens, but it will mean the ability to network with librarians and library staff from all over the country.
I will be hosting a national workshop on creating safe spaces in libraries that will serve as a model for other libraries around the country. I also hope to bring back new ideas and resources to Troy, as well as provide resources that go beyond books in small towns like ours to others. Please bear with our staff and hours during the week of September 14 through 20th as we will do our best to serve you but may need to move to limited hours while I am away.
Author Peter M. Hanrahan will be joining us at the Gay-Kimball Library at noon on Saturday, September 26, and will be making a presentation regarding his book, Dean Man’s Ridge: The Bravery of American Paratroopers at the Battle of the Bulge.
The principal character in the book, Niilo Liimatainen grew up in the Troy area and, after World War II, made the Monadnock Region his home until his passing in 2005. Following his presentation, Mr. Hanrahan will also hold a question-and-answer session and will then be available to sign books for attendees. Author and Filmmaker Dayton Duncan worked for 32 years in partnership with Ken Burns to produce historical documentaries for PBS. After reading the manuscript, Mr. Duncan provided the following advance praise for the book.
“Peter M. Hanrahan talked for hours with his wife’s uncle about the old veteran’s experience in World War II, when his untested platoon was virtually wiped out in the Battle of the Bulge. This led Hanrahan on a deeper search for other personal accounts of soldiers from the 17th Airborne Division, whose first action came in that bloody and decisive campaign. And what a treasure trove he discovered. Through their letters and reminiscences, Dead Man’s Ridge brings the reader to the bitterly cold days in Belgium when young American men were introduced to the horrors and heroism, the chaos and camaraderie of desperate combat against a seasoned enemy. Day-by-day accounts of major figures, from Patton to Eisenhower and even Hitler, provide the larger context of the epic battle, but it is the granular testimony of the men who did the fighting and dying that gives this book its power–– and its heart.”
Also on September 26, I will be joining the Troy Conservation Commission at the ballfield on Marlborough Road for a moon stargazing event at around six (more specific times to follow). We’ll read about the harvest moon and make a craft before dark. For more details on this event, keep your eyes on our Facebook page and website.
Moving forward, many are asking if we will be holding a Trunk or Treat again this year. The answer is “yes.” With that said, we are in need of candy donations as soon as possible. Last year, we had well over 300 visitors to our Trunk or Treat and we want to be sure we don’t run out of candy! If you want to help out, but don’t want to host a trunk, please consider donating candy to the library any time during September and October. We use this candy to help out those who do volunteer trunks! Anyone interested in hosting a trunk can sign up by calling the library to reserve a spot!
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.
• 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!
• 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. Follow our Facebook page to learn more and stay up to date with GKL activities and programming. Our goal is to continue to do what we can to make the library a welcoming, helpful place in town as we grow.
Welcome, Summer at Gay-Kimball Library!
June brought with it the grand opening of our summer reading program, complete with this year’s theme: Plant a Seed – Read! The theme came just in time for our community gardens, too! Between our exciting Bio Blitz, Dump Truck Day with our very own town moderator, a visit from the third grade at Troy Elementary, summer reading sign-ups, Escape the Greenhouse programming, and getting those gardens planted, we’ve gotten this summer off to a great start at Gay-Kimball Library look forward to quite the memorable summer!
With our gardens working their way toward their first harvests, many are asking what we will do with the vegetables we grow. The answer is simple: Share! We planted our gardens as a community, and we will share (free of charge) our harvests of tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, chives, peas, beans, lettuce, and more with the community. As we pick our crop, we will make anything we grow available to anyone in town. We plan on having a free vegetable stand inside the library for anyone who wants to try our fruits and vegetables! Maybe you don’t want to run to Keene for those extra tomatoes you need for taco dinner on a Tuesday. Stop by the library. Maybe money is tight, and you are looking for fresh vegetables, same idea. We will have more than enough to share throughout the summer.
Depending on how things go, we may offer a stand outside the library as well. We only ask that you do not pick from the gardens without prior permission from library staff, as some of the picking will be done as part of programming by groups like Storytime, volunteers, or visiting groups by invitation. Watch our Facebook page or website to see what is available when.
Curious about what else is planned for July at Gay-Kimball Library?
Join us for the following fantastic summer events:
Thursday, July 16, 4 pm: Toad Tea with MaryLee – Make Way for a Garden Tea by our new community garden! Join us for an afternoon tea, story, and craft with Marylee Obert as she shares her very own book and treats us to a magical world all her own! This enchanted afternoon is appropriate for kids ages four to twelve and their caregivers and stuffed or imaginary friends. You do not need to sign up in advance to attend, and you only need to bring your imagination. Dressing up is encouraged but not required.
Saturday, July 25, 11 to 2 pm – The science of it! – We couldn’t say no when we were challenged to join in on 250 million acts of science for the nation’s 250th celebration! Join us for a Science Across America Community dialogue and science fair! We will celebrate all things science, and families are encouraged to attend! We will have several booths set up for this event, where you will get to learn more about many types of science and try your hand at science experiments through our Science Across America grant.
Thursday, July 30, 6-8 pm: What’s your story? Cultivating community: An evening of getting to know our neighbors – sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities – the importance of storytelling and how it unites us – with special guest Veronica Francis. This program is meant for adults.
Veronica Francis, author of Circus Towne, 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.
Her life story reads less like a straight line and more like a series of detours – and that’s exactly the point.
Saturday, August 8, noon to 2 pm – Ice Cream Social, Celebrating the end of summer reading – come on down to the library to celebrate your reading goals and the community’s achievements this summer! This is a free event for all Troy residents, and you don’t have to participate in summer reading or any of the programming to attend. We welcome everyone at Gay-Kimball Library!
Come One, Come All for One of the Quirkiest Stories of Them All!
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.
Blooming into May with Gay-Kimball Library
Bring on the May flowers and those plentiful gardens! Thanks to a generous donation from UNH, the library is now bursting with seeds for our community and pollinator garden projects! But before we get to those, let’s take a look back at what April brought us…
Between the showers, we saw the first buds of a Friends of the Library group with an informational meeting in mid-April. We are so thankful for the many people willing to support the library through a Friends group. It’s not too late to join. If you are interested, please call the library at (603) 242-7743 and let us know.
We were also honored to host a POW/MIA display from Rolling Thunder, which is still set up in our library to honor The Missing Man. This display reminds us of our brave lost soldiers and prisoners of war with solemn symbolism. It is a great educational tool for all. If you’re interested, there’s still a limited amount of time to stop by and learn more.
The Missing Man table isn’t the only new display you’ll see if you visit. We’ve recently made the most of our spring cleaning and created a new reading nook meant to encourage more young adult visitors and readers at Gay-Kimball Library. We’ve also changed the way we catalogue our movie collection to make it easier for our movie-loving patrons to find their favorite titles! Stop by and check out the changes and let us know what you think!
Also in April, we set up a program with Author Veronica Francis for our New Hampshire Humanities Civic Life and Belonging grant. This program, “What’s YOUR Story?” is slated for Thursday, July 30 at 6 pm. It is a storytelling presentation and workshop that highlights how stories connect us all. Presented by Francis, this presentation and workshop will demonstrate connections neighbors might not realize they have, despite living close by.
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.
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.
Back to those highly anticipated community gardens: In early April, we had our county site visit, applied to a master gardener program, and collected the names of people interested in helping with this project. There is a lot of work to be done! We will be holding community-wide volunteer meetings soon. Please watch our social media pages and website for details of when we will meet and the kind of help we are looking for. In the meantime, please call, drop by, or message the library if you are interested in joining the gardening club! We would love all the help we can get and would especially welcome assistance from anyone with special skills in gardening, soil, farming, wildlife, and pollinators. The more help, the better!
Springing ahead, this month, our students at Troy Elementary School will get a special visit on May 14 from Author Marek Bennet, thanks to our Children’s Literacy Foundation Rural Libraries (CLiF) grant! NH-based cartoonist, musician, and educator Marek Bennett leads discovery-based Comics Workshops for all ages throughout New England and the world beyond. His comics work includes the graphic novel series, The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, as well as drawing, translating, & editing for The Most Costly Journey (2021) with the bilingual El Viaje Project. In September 2022, both books were featured at the National Book Festival in Washington DC. Marek is the recipient of the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Art Education. His website is: www.MarekBennett.com
As always, we are thankful for our patrons, who help make the library not only a resource but a community hub for so many in town. Give us a call if you have ideas on ways we can better serve Troy and its residents!
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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!
How DOES our garden grow?
The story of Gay-Kimball Library’s Community/Pollinator Garden Grant Projects through the Cheshire County Conservation District Conservation Opportunity Fund
Gay-Kimball Library
Community/Pollinator Garden Grant Project
Week One
April 8 – Erin George, Director of the Gay-Kimball Library, met with members of the Cheshire County Conservation District for a site visit to learn more about how to best proceed with the community/pollinator garden project. Experts advised on the best location for these gardens, how to go about killing the grass, when to start, and various resources that would be helpful along the way.
Later, we took before pictures…
April 9 – We met with the Girl Scouts and a member of the town Conservation Commission to discuss our project. The Girl Scouts will be contributing to the project by creating hummingbird feeders for our pollinator garden area. They will also help with some of the gardening. The Conservation Commission and our regular landscaper will be helping with trimming and is onboard with our plan for the project. He’s also walked the property and given feedback on site placement taking into account the recommendations of the Conservation District and all are in agreement on site placement.
April 10 – We began stripping cardboard of shipping tapes and cutting off any parts with inks or dyes, saving only clean cardboard to begin our process of cardboard mulching our pollinator garden. This was on the suggestion of the Cheshire County Conservation District.
April 11 – Erin talked to a local retired science professor to schedule a BioBlitz that will work well in conjunction with our community and pollinator garden projects. This event is scheduled for June of 2026 and will go hand-in-hand with our summer reading theme: Plant a Seed: Read.
April 13 – We collected rocks from last year’s summer reading project – “Kimball the snake” and saved them for repurposing to hold down the cardboard we’ll use to kill the grass for our pollinator garden. We also assembled two eight-foot container gardens that will be used for the vegetable portion of our community garden. We finished cleaning off cardboard for tomorrow’s Storytime group, who will begin the process of killing grass through cardboard mulching. We also created signs to let the community know of the beginnings of our project. Lastly, we started this day-by-day record.
April 14 – We worked with 20-plus Storytime kids ages two to seven and their parents to lay cardboard down after our regular Pledge of Allegiance, reading of the book “Goodnight Veggies,” and a talk on the difference between fruits and vegetables, as well as a review on what pollinators are. The kids had a blast smashing cardboard and spraying it down as well as rethinking “Kimball” the rock snake into his new form as a “cardboard crusher” for our “coming soon” bee home. The kids are excited for next week, when we will meet with a special guest gardener to learn more about seeds, lay down compost and mulch, and work on Earth Day activities tied to our very own gardens!
Save the Date for a BioBlitz!
Heads up, nature lovers!
Gay-Kimball Library is hosting a Bioblitz Saturday, June 27 from 10 am to 2 pm.
Are you a birder, a snake enthusiast, fascinated by insects, or find yourself wondering what plant or critter is that? Are you looking for a chance to train your naturalist skills with like-minded peers? Get your phones charged and help us record every plant and critter you see. We will be using a free app – iNaturalist – to record what neighborhood species we share our Troy community with.
A BioBlitz is a fast-paced, community-driven event where scientists, volunteers, and nature enthusiasts work together to identify as many species as possible in a specific location within a set timeframe (often 24 hours). It combines education, scientific observation, and nature exploration to document biodiversity, often using apps like iNaturalist.
There will be a Biodiversity presentation on Wednesday June 10 at 5:30 pm, before the Bioblitz.
Troy resident Dan Bisaccio led biological diversity projects for the Smithsonian Institution for over 30 years in tropical forests around the globe. He will present a slide show on why biological diversity is important to all of us and discuss how to get involved with our upcoming Troy, NH BioBlitz. Dan will also go over how you can participate in BioBlitz by using iNaturalist and contributing your sightings of plants, bugs, birds, and all things natural to our day’s biodiversity inventory. This presentation is geared for adults who are willing to assist young naturalists or with friends, neighbors, or by themselves contribute to our biodiversity “snapshot” inventory. It’s important to bring your phone to this event!
Gay-Kimball Receives $10,000 Accessibility Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2026
CONTACT:
Erin L George, Director
Gay-Kimball Library
(603) 242-7743, troylibrarynh@gmail.com
TROY, NH — The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the fourth and final round of 300 recipients of its Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant, which includes a $10,000 award to Gay-Kimball Library in Troy.
LTC is an ALA initiative to help small and rural libraries increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities. The 300 funded proposals represent 46 U.S. states and the Northern Mariana Islands. Of the selected libraries, 73 percent serve communities with populations of 5,000 or fewer. 126 of the libraries also received funding in previous rounds of the grant initiative, bringing the total number of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities grantees to 836. 16 libraries received funding in all four rounds of the initiative.
This grant will go a long way toward upgrades at Gay-Kimball Library that will help with accessibility for many patrons, according to Director Erin George. From expanding the large print and audio book sections to upgrading technology and offering new ways of getting materials to patrons with mobility challenges, the LTC grant will mean better access to library resources for all. “We are so excited to talk with our patrons about ways we can better serve them and help make the library easier to access,” George said.
Fifty libraries will receive grants of $20,000, and 250 libraries will receive grants of $10,000. In accordance with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) definitions, eligibility was limited to communities with populations of less than 25,000 located at least five miles from an urbanized area.
Selected libraries have identified a primary audience they wish to serve (e.g., people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities or intellectual disabilities). Library staff will conduct community input-gathering sessions with the identified primary audience to discuss accessibility in the community and library to collaboratively identify existing resources, needs/gaps and priorities. The libraries will then use the funds to create services or improve their facilities, services or program offerings based on the needs identified by their audience.
Previously funded LTC projects have included installing chair lifts and hearing loops, hosting arts and crafts programs for community members living with Alzheimer’s and memory loss, creating accessible outdoor spaces like community gardens and playgrounds and mental health programs for high school students.
Since 2014, ALA has distributed LTC funding to foster community engagement skills among library workers and support need-driven projects. LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
“The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) sends our congratulations to all of the returning and first-time libraries awarded in this final round of LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities,” said ARSL Executive Director Kate Laughlin. “We are excited to have representation of small and rural libraries across all fifty states and the Northern Mariana Islands and look forward to seeing projects come to fruition!”
Libraries Transforming Communities is administered by the ALA Public Programs Office. The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
Springing into the Next Chapter!
It’s hard to believe winter’s finally behind us! As we spring into a new season, we look back on a productive winter at the Gay-Kimball Library. From a successful book sale and plenty of cozy reads and programming opportunities like Chess Club to a hot chocolate bar and tracking event, we made our share of memories! We also had great luck with yet another grant season! It’s almost overwhelming how generous our community has been in helping to support our small, rural library this year. We are so thankful!
In March, we were fortunate to receive a $2,000 Civic Life and Belonging grant from New Hampshire Humanities! This grant will go toward adult programming aimed at the importance of storytelling and how our unique stories unite us. Between ongoing workshops and community events, this grant will help make our community stronger just in time for the nation’s 250th celebration. Stay tuned for details on a special summer event coming to Troy as a result of this generous grant. 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 is all made possible by New Hampshire Humanities, with support from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Plans are also now underway for how we will use our Science Across America grant to participate in the nation’s 2.5 Million Acts of Science program as part of our nation’s 250th celebration. If you have any ideas for science programming you would like to see brought to the library, please let us know! One of the programs we will bring to the library this summer will be a bio blitz, as well as a community garden.
We are currently looking to form a gardening group thanks to a $1500 grant from the Cheshire County Conservation District. Our Conservation Opportunity Fund Grant will allow us to create a Gay-Kimball Library Community Garden in time for this year’s summer reading Plant a Seed: Read theme. This project will be for all ages, with the gardening club meant for adults, and some educational projects planned for kids. The gardening will be for all, with families and anyone in town encouraged to participate in the community garden on an ongoing basis.
With spring here, garden plans are moving fast, and we have already been approved for a large bulk donation through the Free Seeds for Education program through the UNH Cooperative Extension Program. Please call, drop by, or message the library if you are interested in joining the gardening club! We would love all the help we can get and would especially welcome help from anyone with special skills in gardening, soil, farming, wildlife, and pollinators. The more help, the better!
While it’s still a bit off, our students at Troy Elementary School will get a special visit on May 14 from Author Marek Bennet, thanks to our Children’s Literacy Foundation Rural Libraries grant! NH-based cartoonist, musician, and educator Marek Bennett leads discovery-based Comics Workshops for all ages throughout New England and the world beyond. His comics work includes the graphic novel series, The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, as well as drawing, translating, & editing for The Most Costly Journey (2021) with the bilingual El Viaje Project. In September 2022, both books were featured at the National Book Festival in Washington DC. Marek is the recipient of the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Art Education. His website is: www.MarekBennett.com
As always, we are thankful for our patrons, who help make the library not only a resource but a community hub for so many in town. Give us a call if you have ideas on ways we can better serve Troy and its residents!
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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!
Marching On: A Look Back at February and What’s Next for March at GKL
Troy Communicator
March Issue
By Erin L George, Director
Feeling lucky? We sure are! Winter brought the library a fantastic presentation on tracking by our very own Dan Bisaccio, a friendly Superbowl raffle won by the lucky Heather B, Cupid’s touch with a hot chocolate bar Valentine social, a generous, bulk no-water flower donation by a patron, and a week-long book sale. It also brought us a SCIENCE ACROSS AMERICA Grant that will mean library programming for all ages as part of the nation’s 250th celebration.
As America celebrates its 250-year anniversary, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and STAR Net have launched a new campaign to help libraries highlight the history of scientific achievement in our country and the local connections to science in our communities. SCIENCE ACROSS AMERICA, the newest campaign from Spark of Science@ My Library, offered this grant to encourage libraries to showcase local scientific advances and scientists, engage our communities with focused Community Dialogues, and host educational and inspirational activities that shine a light on the past, present, and future of science in our lives. We are excited to move forward with this programming, particularly with this year’s reading programming theme of Plant a Seed.
In February, we also introduced Kanopy streaming to our services! Thanks to another recent grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, patrons with active library cards can stream free movies from the Kanopy app. How lucky is that?
Last month, we had record numbers with our popular Tuesday Storytime and many requests to start a Toddler Time at the library. If you are interested in a second Storytime day or a new Toddler Time program, please let us know. We have also had interest in a tween homeschooling program at Gay-Kimball. Please give us a call if this is something you might be interested in so we can learn more about your students’ particular needs.
Up next, we will host a Lucky Leprechaun Tea with Miss MaryLee on Tuesday, March 10 at 4 pm. This program is open to kids of all ages and free of charge. We encourage attendees to dress in green for this event. A craft and a story will be included along with Kimball the snake’s lucky charm spirit.
While it’s still a bit off, our students at Troy Elementary School will get a special visit on May 14 from Author Marek Bennet, thanks to our Children’s Literacy Foundation Rural Libraries grant! NH-based cartoonist, musician, and educator Marek Bennett leads discovery-based Comics Workshops for all ages throughout New England and the world beyond. His comics work includes the graphic novel series, The Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby, as well as drawing, translating, & editing for The Most Costly Journey (2021) with the bilingual El Viaje Project. In September 2022, both books were featured at the National Book Festival in Washington DC. Marek is the recipient of the New Hampshire Governor’s Arts Award for Art Education. His website is: www.MarekBennett.com
We are currently seeking patrons interested in joining a Friends of the Library group. The commitment for this group is regular meetings about once a month and a willingness to help out in ways YOU enjoy. If you are interested in this group, contact the library, and we’ll add you to the list! The formation of a Friends group is important to the library as it expands our ability to apply for more grants, something that is working well to keep our costs to the town minimal without hurting services to our patrons.
We are thrilled that we’ve had an uptick in groups using our conference room for a variety of purposes. As of the new year, we kindly request that groups complete new forms to ensure proper use of the space. Please check in with us if you haven’t filled out the new form yet so we can give you new information and reserve those spots for you. Groups who have already filled out the new form won’t need to do it again. As always, we are thankful for our patrons, who help make the library not only a resource but a community hub for so many in town. Give us a call if you have ideas on ways we can better serve Troy and its residents!
