Our Gardens are Making News! Thanks again to CCCD for helping us grow!
Tag Archives: education
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.
Weeks Two and Three of the Gardens – Bloomin Right Along!
Week Two
April 17 – A regular patron volunteer removed the rocks from our cardboard and spread compost over it so that the cardboard could begin the process of decomposition. We will soon add a layer of mulch to complete the prep for our pollinator garden for now.
April 21 – Just in time for Earth Day, we held a special Storytime by inviting a special guest in to help us get seeds started for the gardens. Ruth, known to the library kids as “Nans” or “Nana,” came in to teach the kids about seeds. The kids planted sunflowers and transplanted tomatoes. These plants will continue to grow in pods in the library conference room over the next few weeks, and the children will take care of them during weekly Storytimes. The Girl Scouts, in the meantime, will also look after them. Nana left seeds, pods, potting soil, and more for other age groups to plant throughout the week, and librarians designated several tables in the conference room as spaces for our makeshift “greenhouse.”
April 22 – We had a teen volunteer come in to help us plant seeds in starter pods in our conference room for the following for our veggie garden: cauliflower, lettuce, eggplant, and peas! We were also able to help a patron with tomatoes she’d lost in an early frost by replacing them with our own starter tomatoes from the Storytime group; what community gardening is all about!
April 23 – We moved the two ten-foot container gardens outside and lined the back of the building with them. We filled the bottoms with cardboard and mulch and brought in two truckloads of soil to fill them.
Week Three
This week was all about planting more seedlings, keeping them watered, and the research. While we continued our learning in programming with books like “The Bad Seed” and “Growing Together,” we also looked toward tools like “Burpee Companion Guide” to plan our garden designs. We learned that some plants are poisonous to one another, while others complement each other, and came up with the following plans for our gardens:
Container Garden A
- Grape tomato
- Yellow pear tomato
- Determinate tomatoes
- Red eggplant
- Basil
- Marigolds
- Alyssum
- Nasturtium
Container Garden B
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Italian squash
- Sugar pie pumpkins
- Radishes
- Lettuce
Pollinator Bed
- Blue lobelia
- Coneflower
- Heliotrope
- Milkweed
- Alyssum
- Agastache
- Yarrow
- Daisy
- Pentas
- Salvia
- Delphinium
- Marigolds
- Nasturtium
- Sunflowers (kindergarten, tiger’s eye, mixed)
Vegetable Bed
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Green cauliflower
- Carrots
- Little finger carrots
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Oakleaf lettuce
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Sugar snap peas
- Beans
- Chives
- Marigolds
- Nasturtium
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 Library Awarded Civic Life and Belonging Grant
TROY, NH- Gay-Kimball Library has received a Civic Life and Belonging grant from New Hampshire Humanities to present “What’s Your Story?” “What’s Your Story” will occur on July 30 from 6 to 8 pm at Gay-Kimball Library in Troy, New Hampshire.
This program is a storytelling presentation and workshop that highlights how stories connect us. Presented by Author Veronica Francis, this program 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.
This program is free and open to the public, will include refreshments, and will begin promptly at 6 pm. You do not have to be a Troy resident or Gay-Kimball Library patron to participate.
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.
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!
Wrapping up 2025 at Gay-Kimball Library
As our Storytime crew would say, “Spit, spat, spout, this tale’s told out!”
It’s crazy to think that we’ve said goodbye to 2025! We had a fantastic year with many successes to include the addition of a new chess club, a hat trick of grants, including a most recent $20,000 Community Programs Grant from New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, two author visits, accepted an extremely generous $15,000 donation from the Wentworth Family to help grow our trust fund, building repairs, food drives, the incorporation of a Little Food Library program at GKL and so much more.
Most recently, we hosted an author visit by Michael J. Caduto who read from his latest release “Enchanted Night Before Christmas,” held a Holiday Teddy Bear Tea with Miss MaryLee, and had a blast at our very own ugly Christmas sweater party.
With increased patron numbers and programming, one of our goals for 2026 is to reach out to our friends for help in keeping the momentum going! We are currently seeking patrons who would be 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 the ways YOU enjoy. If you are interested in being a part of this group, please contact the library, and we’ll add you to the list!
We are still working to bring back our book club, but we haven’t had enough interest to open that first chapter yet. Please don’t be shy about reaching out if you are interested. We would love to bring this club back.
In 2026, we will introduce a newsletter, host another CLiF author visit in conjunction with Troy Elementary School, offer new literacy packs, host a traveling Ukrainian Art Exhibit, and collaborate with special local educational resources like the Harris Center. This winter, we will also offer metal detector check-outs thanks to a coming-soon donation from Minelabs and Streeter’s Treasure Hunting in Marlborough.
Due to patron request, and simply because we can’t make trees out of all the older books, we will also be holding a winter book sale. The date for this sale will be set at our next trustee meeting and announced on social media. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram or check out our website to stay apprised of all the latest happenings at Gay-Kimball Library!
Lastly, we’ve had an uptick in groups using our conference room for a variety of purposes. As of Jan. 1, we are asking that all groups fill out new forms to ensure use of the space. Please check in with us if you haven’t filled out the new form yet so that 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 so 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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SAVE THE DATE!
January 21 from 6 to 7 pm.
TRACKING PRESENTATION: Save the date for a presentation by Dan Bisaccio, a retired science professor, on the topic of wildlife tracking. Dan will teach us how to identify animals by their tracks and/or scat. You’ll be able to tell the difference between a deer and a rabbit visiting your yard. He’ll also go over how to make plaster casts of tracks you discover in snow or on raw ground. You’ll even learn a neat law enforcement trick on how police capture tracks in the snow.
Gay-Kimball Library Receives Generous New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gay-Kimball Library recently received a two-year, $20,000 grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The grant will help further the Gay-Kimball Library’s mission of providing education, resources, and support for its patrons in the town of Troy, NH.
About Gay-Kimball Library
The Gay-Kimball Library’s Mission is to meet the community’s recreational and Informational needs in a creative, professional, and welcoming manner. It offers diverse resources and provides a community meeting place for people of all ages.
According to Gay-Kimball Library Director Erin George, this generous grant will allow the library to continue offering its patrons tools that provide education, ways to connect to the community, and improvements to current offerings such as Kanopy streaming, museum passes, and more and couldn’t come at a better time for Troy’s residents.
“We’ve seen an increase in homeschooling families and new families moving to town. Many of these families are on limited budgets and depend on the library for learning, entertainment, and even internet services. This New Hampshire Charitable Foundation grant will allow us to serve these families better going forward,” she said.
About the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, is dedicated to making New Hampshire a more just, sustainable, and vibrant community where everyone can thrive. We are the place where generosity meets the dedication and ingenuity of nonprofits and the potential of New Hampshire students. For six decades, thousands of people have entrusted their charitable resources to the Foundation, creating a perpetual source of philanthropic capital and making it possible for the Foundation to award more than $70 million in grants and scholarships every year. For more information, please visit www.nhcf.org or call 603-225-6641.
Dashing into December at GKL
Troy Communicator
December Issue
By Erin L George, Director
It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is already here! As the library reaches its happy ending for 2025, we look back with gratefulness for November’s events, including a new chess club, a popular Teddy Bear Tea event, the beginning of our Little Free Food Library, a condiment drive for Helping Hands, Flight Path educational programming, generous donations, and lots of laughs.
As always, our events are free and open to the public. This month, we are looking forward to the following dates:
WINTER ADULT AUTHOR VISIT: Join us at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec 6, for a reading, signing, and presentation by author Michael J Caduto. Caduto, author of Enchanted Night Before Christmas, hails from Vermont and will give a talk on a sweet holiday story he wrote about a family who understands the true meaning behind the holidays. This event is free and open to the public and will help put you in the mood for the holidays!
UGLY SWEATER PARTY: Saturday, Dec. 13 from 11 to 1. You bring the sweater, we’ll bring the bling! This event is great for any age and is sure to be a good time for all. A prize will go to the UGLIEST sweater, so don’t feel you have to be crafty to participate.
HOLIDAY TEA WITH MISS MARY LEE: Thursday, Dec. 18 at 4 pm. Holiday themed, wear your best holiday gear and bring a stuffie along to celebrate the season! This event is suitable for any age but geared at younger children. A snack and craft will be provided!
Moving into 2026, we are working to bring back our book club, start a newsletter, and collaborate with some special local resources like the Harris Center. Follow us on Facebook or check out our website to stay apprised of the latest happenings at Gay-Kimball Library! As always, we are so thankful for our patrons, who help to make the library not only a resource but a community hub for so many in town. Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our staff if you have ideas on ways we can better serve Troy and its residents! We hope you have a fantastic holiday season.
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!
Thankful November at Gay-Kimball Library
We have so much to be thankful for at the Gay-Kimball Library this month! Looking back, we had the pleasure of a visit from an incredibly curious and bright group of first graders, a successful time capsule burial, an author visit through CLiF, a Teddy Bear Tea with Miss MaryLee, and a spook-tacular Trunk or Treat Halloween! We were also blessed with our Flight Path kits, which mean birding resources and tools for the community. For example, patrons can now check out adult and children’s binoculars for three weeks at a time to enjoy these last weeks of outdoor color. Also coming soon will be a Flight Path screening of Wild Hope’s short films about birding, bird migration, and bird safety. Attendees will receive bird tape to help our local birds migrate safely. You’ll also get bird identification cards kindly donated to the library through our Spark of Science grant.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our favorite patrons, coming this month will be the start of a new chess group for pre-teen and teen kids after school. This group will meet on Wednesdays at 4, beginning Nov. 5. This friendly group (non-competitive) will learn all about the game of chess and have the opportunity to work with an adult volunteer who’s well-versed in the game. All skill levels are welcome, including those who have never played before. This is a great social event for kids looking for a positive way to spend time during those after-school hours. This program is best suited for children aged eight and up.
We are also looking forward to the following dates:
WINTER ADULT AUTHOR VISIT: Join us at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec 6, for a reading, signing, and presentation by author Michael J Caduto. Caduto, author of Enchanted Night Before Christmas, hails from Vermont and will give a talk on a sweet holiday story he wrote about a family who understands the true meaning behind the holidays. This event is free and open to the public and will help put you in the mood for the holidays!
TRACKING PRESENTATION: Save the date – Wednesday, Dec. 10 – for a presentation by Dan Bisaccio, a retired science professor, on the topic of wildlife tracking. Dan will teach us how to identify animals by their tracks and/or scat. You’ll be able to tell the difference between a deer and a rabbit visiting your yard. He’ll also go over how to make plaster casts of tracks you discover in snow or on raw ground. You’ll even learn a neat law enforcement trick on how police capture tracks in the snow. We will also hand out tracking materials from NH Fish and Game for those interested in tracking at home. This presentation is free of charge and open to anyone ages 13 and up. It will begin at 5:30 in the Ripley Room at Gay-Kimball Library. You don’t need to register to attend, and this event is open to the public, regardless of residency status.
As always, we are so thankful for our patrons, who help to make the library not only a resource but community hub for so many in town. Don’t hesitate to reach out to any of our staff if you have ideas on ways we can better serve Troy and its residents!
