Attention all young ladies and gentlemen (and their grown-up chauffeurs)! The Epping library’s annual Spring Tea Party for children will be on Saturday, May 19^th from 11 to 1. Boys and girls ages 3-8 are invited to dress in their finest, which can be ‘Sunday best’ or a favorite ‘dress-up’ selection, for tea and juice, special goodies, old fashioned crafts and even a maypole! Please contact Miss Tracie in the children’s room to reserve a spot at the party.

With this year’s summer reading theme being “Dream Big, Read!” we are excited to see what kinds of dreams the kids of Epping have for the future. We know the adults in the library community are dreaming about an expanded library! An architect has been selected out of a field of 14 submitted bids, but the trustees are still looking for residents with grant-writing and fund-raising experience to serve on the building committee. This will be a lengthy process that will require some creativity to raise the necessary funds in a tough economy. Anyone with these important skills and a love for the library is invited to contact library director, Bradley Green.

This year’s summer theme will also encourage children to explore the world of dreams and nighttime, from the real critters that come out after dark to the amazing creatures that appear from so many imaginations. We are counting on the imaginations of the SRP Volunteers to help make this summer fun and interesting. The Volunteers will be meeting on May 24^th at 4:30 to brainstorm ideas for game components of the program and welcome additional members to the team. Young people entering middle school this fall are eligible to help and can pretty much design their own schedules as we close in on the end of the school year. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Miss Tracie in the children’s room.

Also on May 24^th, at 7:00 pm, the library will host a reading and book signing with local author Nancy Frye Bergeron. Ms. Bergeron will read from “Restoring the Postmaster’s Cottage: One Year’s Journey”, her recollections and observations of Epping’s own Hedding Campground. Whether you have a cabin at Hedding, have had the pleasure of visiting a family there or are just curious about this jewel hidden in the woods of our town, you will find this program a fascinating trip into Epping history and culture.

The library’s annual Toy Sale to benefit the Summer Reading Program is scheduled for Saturday, June 23^rd from 9 to noon. Donations of gently used toys, games, outdoor and sports equipment can be dropped off at the library during operating hours. Clothing and stuffed animals will not be accepted. Keep the library in mind during spring cleaning!

The library will be closed for usual activities on Monday, May 28^th but the building will be open from 9 to 12 during Epping’s Memorial Day Parade. We hope to see you there.

Epping’s public library is open Monday – Friday from 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday 10 to 2. For more information call 679-5944, or visit www.eppinglibrary.com.

The Making of Strawbery Banke

On Thursday, May 10^th at 7 pm J. Dennis Robinson, author of “Strawbery Banke: A Seaport Museum 400 Years in the Making” delivers an interesting and informative program that will also be witty and entertaining. Hosted by the Friends of the Library, this program is made possible by a grant from the NH Humanities Council.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and the May Pajama Night will celebrate Moms while giving Dads and kids a chance to make a special something for the deserving lady of the house. On Friday, May 11^th children from 3 to 8 (and their grown-up chauffeurs) are invited to wear their pajamas to the library for crafts, stories and a scavenger hunt devoted to Mom. Pajama Night begins at 6:30. Participants are asked to bring a snack to share.

The annual Spring Tea Party for children will be on Saturday, May 19^th from 11 to 1. Boys and girls ages 3-8 are invited to dress in their finest for ‘tea’, treats and old fashioned crafts. Please contact Miss Tracie in the children’s room to reserve a seat at the table.

The library’s Toy Sale to benefit the Summer Reading Program is scheduled for Saturday, June 23^rd from 9 to noon. Donations of gently used toys, games, outdoor and sports equipment are already being collected. Clothing and stuffed animals will not be accepted. Keep the library in mind during spring cleaning!

Epping’s public library is open Monday – Friday from 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday 10 to 2. For more information call 679-5944, or visit www.eppinglibrary.com.

The Harvey-Mitchell Memorial Library turns 48 years old this April, and with any luck there may be an addition under way before the building turns 50. The library trustees are forming a planning committee to help with the fun but challenging process of expanding. Interested Epping residents are encouraged to contact Library Director Bradley Green.

The Friends of the Library are also looking for input. Meeting on the 2^nd Tuesday each month from September to June this small but enthusiastic group raises money to help with extra purchases not covered by the budget like pizza and popcorn for movie nights, supplies for programs and larger contributions to the annual summer reading program. The FOL sponsors an ongoing book sale and oversees the donations of books and movies as well as the toy sale held each spring to benefit summer reading. Their April meeting will be held at the library on Tuesday, April 10^th at 7 pm. Anyone with a couple of hours a month to share with the town library is invited to stop in and see what it’s all about.

Like folk music and history? On Thursday, April 12^th singer and musician Steve Blunt, in character as John Hutchinson, will tell the story of the 19th century New Hampshire family who achieved international fame with songs of social reform, abolition, temperance and women’s suffrage. This free program is made possible with a grant from the New Hampshire Humanities Council and should be a knee slapping good time.

April’s Pajama Night will feature the annual story play by the Story Explorers, a group of kindergarten, first and second graders and their “big kid” helpers. On Friday, April 13^th at 6:30 this group will present their production of Lisa Wheeler’s story “Ugly Pie” on the Explorer Stage and then host crafts and a scavenger hunt based on a bakery theme. Children ages 2-8 and their families are invited to bring a snack to share at this fun evening in the children’s room.

Coming up April 23^rd through the 27^th will be the Spring Vacation Week Movie Series in the children’s room. Movies including one about puppets (with-an-M), a rabbit with drumsticks, penguins, an adventurous small white dog and that boot-wearing cat will be shown in the afternoons at 1:00. The Thursday afternoon session of Preschool Storyhour will be canceled for that week. Check the website or stop by the library for the schedule.

Epping’s public library is open Monday – Friday from 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday 10 to 2. For more information call 679-5944, or visit www.eppinglibrary.com.