Category Archives: Library News

Children’s Events in April 2013–all FREE!

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Saturday, April 6, 2013 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Come to the library and make springy crafts! Celebrate warm weather.

Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Join us for the FIRST “Reading the Environment” Fair. We will meet SUPER PANDA, the super hero who protects the earth and endangered animals, visit the crayon recycle station, eat yummy good food from Shop Rite of Bristol, and dance to the recycled tunes of VIC & STICKS! Visit www.vicandsticks.com for more information about the musicians and their recycled instruments! An awesome day of earth-loving is planned, so don’t miss out…you can even picnic in the library! There will be free giveaways, raffles, prizes, trails around the library, and lots more. All made possible by the Friends of the Bristol Public Library! WOW!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. The Hampstead Stage Company presents KING ARTHUR…a play for the whole family. Kids participate in the play! For more information about the Hampstead Stage Company visit www.hampsteadstage.org. FREE!

Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. MOTHER GOOSE flies in to tell her tales, sing her songs, and rhyme her rhymes…and children get to help her by dressing up as fairy tale characters. That sounds like fun! FREE!

Saturday, April 20, 2013 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Two newly graduated “READ TO THE DOGS” dogs visit the Children’s Department at the Bristol Public Library to listen to children read aloud from their favorite books…and meet new friends. The newly trained dogs are Lily and Kelly…both live in Bristol, CT! Woof! A great way to practice your reading skills! To find out more about the “READ TO THE DOGS” program visit www.tailsofjoy.org.

Monday, April 22, 2013 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and on Thursday, April 25, 2013 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. the Carlyle “Hap” Barnes Fire Safety House will be at the library for children to visit, explore, and learn about fire safety. The fire house visit is part of Healthy Kids Week, an initiative of the Bristol School Readiness Council. All children who visit the Fire Safety House MUST have a permission slip signed by a parent/guardian. Permission slips are available at all April story time sessions and at the Children’s Information Desk. The children will have FUN and learn about fire safety at the same time!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Our friend ROGER TINCKNELL stops by to play music, sing songs, and get us movin’! For more information about Roger Tincknell visit www.rogertincknell.com. FREE!

Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. Award-winning musician Charlie Hope visits the library to sing her beautiful songs. Charlie will be performing during the fire safety house visit; children waiting their turns to visit the fire safety house can sing and dance with Charlie! For more information about Charlie Hope visit www.charliehopemusic.com. FREE.

Bonus Tax-Aide Session on April 3rd Has Been Canceled

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the extra session has been canceled.

The last day to take advantage of this free service at the Main Library will be next Tuesday, April 9th, from Noon until 4:00 PM.

Tax-Aide is a free confidential service run by volunteers who prepare Federal and Connecticut tax returns. The service is offered to low and middle income taxpayers of all ages with special attention to those 60 and older. No appointment is necessary.

For more information please call 1-888-227-7669 or visit the AARP website .

Women’s History Month Program on Historic Hill-Stead Garden Architect, Beatrix Farrand

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Colleen Plimpton as Beatrix Farrand

Colleen Plimpton as Beatrix Farrand

On Saturday, March 30, at 2:00 p.m., the Bristol Garden Club, Bristol Historical Society, and the Bristol Public Library will present “Beatrix Farrand, Rediscovered: A Dramatic Presentation of the Life, Times, and Gardens of America’s First Female Landscape Architect and Gardener to the Stars of the Early 20th Century.” This free event, co-sponsored by the Bristol Historical Society, Bristol Garden Club, and the Bristol Public Library will take place in meeting room 1 on the lower level of the Main Library. No registration is necessary.

In addition to being America’s first female architect, Beatrix Farrand (1872-1959) was also a founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Though overlooked for decades, her work is being rediscovered. Many of her gardens, such as Bellefield in Hyde Park, NY; Hill-Stead in Farmington, CT and Garland Farm in Bar Harbor, ME, have been restored. This talk is a dramatic, 45-minute, first person presentation, in costume, backed by a slide show of the distinguished landscape gardener’s creations.

Colleen Plimpton spent 30 years in her first career as a clinical social worker with the chronically mentally ill. Her second career is that of professional garden communicator. She trained at the New York Botanical Garden and has tended her sloping Connecticut acre for 20 years. She’s appeared on numerous TV and radio programs including CBS, ABC, Good Morning America and PBS; she pens a prize-winning newspaper column for Hearst Media Group; coaches gardening; has taught at the New York Botanical Garden; lectures widely; and writes for publications such as GreenPrints, Connecticut Gardener, and Toastmaster. Colleen’s multi-honored garden memoir, Mentors in the Garden of Life was a Finalist for the 2011 Connecticut Book of the Year in the Memoir category. Her new book, Growing a Movement: How a Small Group of Determined Women Changed Horticultural History will be available in 2013.

Show Us the Love on March 19

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In today’s tough economy, Bristol Public Library System offers free resources to help people find jobs and learn new skills. People of all ages and backgrounds borrow materials, gather for book discussions, and bring their children to storytime. By visiting Bristol’s libraries, people come to find their place in this community. Bristol Public Library System helps this community thrive.

And now we need you to keep us thriving! Won’t you join us in the Bristol City Council chambers for our budget hearing at 6 pm on March 19 and show the Council that you support your libraries?