FALL in love with books at Gay-Kimball Library!

Posted on September 23, 2025 by troylibrary_admin

It’s hard to believe Fall has arrived! Looking back at September, we had a busy month. Between hosting a Roving Museum and burying a time capsule, we’re embracing the great outdoors.

We’ve also enjoyed signing up dozens of new patrons for library cards and meeting our new and new-to-us neighbors! They’ve come at the right time. Last month, we not only gave out 50 free board books to our library’s kids but also helped fill a Little Free Library on School Street with new books from the Children’s Literacy Foundation. And that’s not the last of the children’s books coming to Gay-Kimball Library! We just submitted our grant order for 120 new books and are excited to release those titles. Keep an eye on our pages to learn more about our selections and watch our fresh graphic novel section expand.

With the turn of the season, we at Gay-Kimball Library already miss our kids and summer programming! This change of pace at the library, however, does allow us to focus on adult programming and other areas of interest; something we are excited about! First up will be events, programs, and resources from our Flight Grant. While we’re ironing out the details on how we will work with local presenters and groups to teach the community about birds and bird migration patterns, you’ll soon be able to check out resources like binoculars and bird-friendly guides and materials.

We are also looking to bring in a living history presenter soon and are happy to take requests from the New Hampshire Humanities Council’s presenter list. Give us a call and let us know your interests.

Coming in November 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. Call the library to sign your child up or drop by for more information. This group will meet on Wednesdays after school, with exact times to be determined based on student needs and availability.

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 generously donated to the library through our Spark of Science grant.

Upcoming dates to remember:

TEDDY BEAR TEA: October 23 at 4 pm – we will be hosting our first Teddy Bear Tea with Miss Mary Lee! All children are welcome to attend this free event where we’ll dress up and bring our best stuffies for a fancy story, snack, and special surprise!

FALL CHILDREN’S AUTHOR VISIT: October (TBD) – GKL will host an author visit for children at Troy Elementary School as part of our CLiF grant!

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!

Save the date – Wednesday, Dec. 10 – to check out a mountain lion track cast and more! 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.

Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us during these busy times. Our goal is to continue to do what we can to make the library a welcoming, helpful place in town as we grow!

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!

Can You Solve this Geocache Puzzle?

Posted on September 22, 2025 by troylibrary_admin

From https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5CC1Y

Geocache Description:

A mystery cache located in Troy, NH. You will need to solve the puzzle with clues from the Troy Common to get the final coordinates.

Take a walk around the Troy common to learn some history of the town, and the soldiers who fought from here. In order to get the final coordinates, you will need to solve a puzzle based on information you gather from inside the common. There is no need to leave the fenced in area for any of the clues (although you may have to for the final cache – we will never tell!). Parking is available at several locations around the common – the suggested parking coordinates are only one of many options. Bring a writing utensil, some scrap paper for taking notes, and a calculator (or your brain) to figure out math problems! 😉 We hope you enjoy the cache and learning more about Troy!

Final coordinates are: N42 AB.ACD W72 DD.EFG

A. The total of the first two numbers in the year the monument “The Defenders of the Union” was erected, minus the last two numbers of the year. (For example, 2014 would be 20-14.)

B. There are two monuments on the common that mention names of Troy residents who served their country in various wars. Those who died while in service have special recognition on the monuments. Count these soldiers’ names, and add the total number from both monuments.

C. Find the year that the Troy Common was established. Add all four digits of the year and divide the total by five.

D. How many gazebos are located on the Troy Common?

E. Find the monument that says which two towns donated land for the town of Troy. Count the letters in each of the two town’s names to figure out X – Y, if X is the name of the first town and Y is the name of the second.

F. Count the total number of granite fence posts that line the common. Add one to the total number, and divide this by twenty-four.

G. Find the year that the Town of Troy was settled in. G is the second to last digit in the year.

This cache is placed in memory of Elmer Gladding, former Police Chief of Troy, NH. He was a major contributor to this town that he loved so much, and you can find his granite fence post at the northern end of the common, as well as one dedicated to him by his daughter Traci and another by his daughter Sandi. Elmer passed away exactly 24 years ago from the date this cache was placed. RIP Cowboy Cop and your lady!

Wrapping Up Summer Reading and Our Next Chapters: Summer recap/Looking ahead

Posted on August 26, 2025 by troylibrary_admin

Things have been busy at the Gay-Kimball Library! From diving into summer reading challenges to finding ways to beat the heat, we’ve had a blast with our community through various events.

Thanks to our CLiF grant, we were able to purchase two book wagons and head out to the Historical Society’s Community Fair in July. There, we offered the town a glimpse of library history through storyboards. It was exciting to talk with patrons about how the town’s library first began in the late 1800s as a room in our town hall. Our original circulation was just under 1,000 titles, and we started with one part-time librarian. It wasn’t until 1945 that the library moved out of the town hall into the brick portion of our building today. To learn more about our history, take a walk near the purple picnic table on the side of the library and read all about the generous legacy of both the Gay and Kimball families!

In July, we also held an obstacle course event in conjunction with the rec department’s Community Day. Kids leveled up their agility by balancing balls, hoops, and noodles while following directions. We also created a new graphic novel section in our children’s room, leveled up our Lego building skills, hosted camp visits, and saw a record number of children come out for Storytime, as many as 22 kids and 9 adults.

In August, we brought back our popular Stuffie Sleepover, held a pop-up paint party, rounded out our Summer Reading Program with an indoor pool party and ice cream social, and brought a 3D printer to life!

We also welcomed Rylan Christen to our volunteer team. He’s been a great asset in helping us with a variety of tasks, including setting up our shark scavenger hunt, collecting rocks for Storytime kids, helping patrons with computers, and troubleshooting building maintenance concerns. If you see Rylan around, please thank him for his service to the town.

We improved library safety this summer by installing security cameras both in and out of the building. In addition to the town cameras for YouTube streaming of government meetings in our conference room, we are now able to ensure patron safety in all areas of the library and are thankful to all who helped make this happen!

Our CLiF grant covered tile replacement for our event space! This came just in time for our author signing events and makes for a brighter space for all! Speaking of grants, we also learned that we received a Flight Path grant that will bring programming and resources on birds and their migration patterns to the library!

It’s hard to believe how quickly summer went by. As we enter a new season, we’re looking forward to events that will round out our year. So far, we’ve scheduled the following:

TRUNK OR TREAT TRICK OR TREAT: October 31 at GKL! We will host our third Trunk or Treat this year at GKL! With Halloween falling on a Friday, this year’s festivities are sure to be even more fun than in year’s past! You can sign up to host a trunk at any time! Spaces are limited and we have had a lot of interest in participating, so please be sure to sign up early. On that end, we are now accepting donations of candy from anyone who would like to support the popular event. Please drop your candy off during open library hours! In our first year, the event was so popular that we ran out of candy in the first hour. You can help prevent that from happening by donating candy anytime between now and Halloween!

TIME CAPSULE: In the spirit of embracing our history, we are working on a time capsule which will be buried at the library for future generations to find! If you would like to add something to the capsule, stop by the library or drop it in the book drop with a note.

CHESS CLUB FOR TWEENS/TEENS: Beginning in November, we will introduce a chess program for anyone interested in learning the game or improving their skills.

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 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 visitor to 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.Save the date – Wednesday, Dec. 10 – to check out a mountain lion track cast and more! 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.

We are currently working on scheduling more events, including teddy bear teas, author signings through CLiF with the elementary school, bad art, and senior bingo nights! Follow our Facebook page to learn more and stay up to date with GKL activities and programming. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us during these busy times. Our goal is to continue to do what we can to make the library a welcoming, helpful place in town as we continue to grow!

Summer Reading Sign Ups and More! #LevelUp

Posted on June 24, 2025 by troylibrary_admin

By Erin George, Director

It’s hard to believe summer is already here! If you haven’t signed up yet, there’s still plenty of time to participate and set your reading goals. Summer reading is for people of all ages. We have prizes for kids, teens, and adults, and encourage you to stop by and sign up!

After a successful LEVEL UP Comic Con-inspired summer reading kick-off June 21, here are a few of the events we’re looking forward to:

July 12, 10 to 2: Obstacle Course – Test your agility!
July 26, 10 to 2: Level Up Legos – Test your LEGO-building skills
August 9, 10 to 2: Tie Dye Day!
August 16, 10 to 2: Indoor Pool Party!
August 23, 10 to 2: Summer Reading Ice Cream Celebration

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and in the town group on Facebook as we add events going forward. You won’t want to miss out, and we do have some fun surprises planned!

In May and June, we were busy with the Beyond the Bell Little Librarian program. For six weeks, our Little Librarians worked to build lemonade stands in teams. While reading The Lemonade War, kids learned how to run a small business and competed to see who could sell the most lemonade at the end of the program. Slay Girls, Jolly Ranchers, and Da Blue and Da Pink had a blast putting their spins on classic lemonade. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the kids’ entrepreneurial goals! A special thanks goes out to the police department, who took the time to try the kids’ lemonade. While visiting, they were spotted helping a teenager with his bike – how lucky our community is!

After a break from our regular Book Club group, we’re hoping to bring it back. We’re looking to see if there’s enough interest in a regular adult book club. If you’re interested or are a former member, please stop by or call the library. We hope to pick a book and bring the club (which meets monthly) back by fall.

As always, we’re interested in learning about your needs. We believe the library is a place not only for books, but for the community. If you have suggestions on titles you’d like us to purchase, programming we can offer, clubs or groups you’d like us to host, or other resources you believe would be helpful for the town of Troy, please reach out by calling (603) 242-7743.

Lastly, for those who haven’t heard, on June 24, I began my new position as director of the Gay Kimball Library. With over twenty years of experience in publishing, grant writing, writing, and management, as well as a master’s degree in therapy and group dynamics, I am excited to see what plot twists the next chapter will bring. I look forward to getting to know more about the patrons I’ve come to love during the three years I’ve worked as a library assistant at Gay Kimball. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with us during this time of transition. Our goal is to continue doing what we can to make the library a welcoming, inspiring and helpful place for Troy and its amazing residents.