Welcome back to Behind the Stacks! We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying safe and healthy through the heat waves! West Haven Library has plenty of fun upcoming events to keep you busy (and out of the sun) as we approach August.
Our Ora Mason library has take-home crafts you can participate in from the comfort of your own home. Beginning in August, our adult craft is a note-to-self wildflower mindfulness card. Turn your reflections into art using a wildflower stencil, along with a blank envelope and card to create a floral themed note-to-self. August’s children’s take & make is a STEM Peanuts® Snoopy House Activity Challenge Kit for ages 3 and up. Children will design and build their very own paper doghouse for Snoopy and Woodstock with this hands-on challenge. It’s a fun and easy way to explore creativity, problem-solving, and basic building skills. Included in this kit are all the materials that you will need along with a think-and-build sheet while you’re building and detailed instructions. All take and make crafts are available on a first come first serve basis, while supplies last! Lastly, we still have plenty of space left for one of our biggest and most exciting annual programs at Ora Mason: The Ice Cream Social & Magic Show! Join us on Friday, Aug. 8, starting at 2 p.m. where we will serve ice cream and the Read to Grow bookmobile will be distributing a free book to each child! The Magic Show portion is tentatively set to start at 3 p.m. This event will be held outside on the lawn. Feel free to bring a blanket or chairs to sit more comfortably outside! This event is sponsored and made possible by the Friends of the West Haven Public Library. Registration is required; please register the total number of people in your party attending including adults.
The Main Library will be hosting several educational forums over the next couple of weeks that are designed to help inform our community of the things they need to know most. On July 28, Oak Street Health will hold a Lunch & Learn event to explain the benefits of specialized care for older adults that they can provide to seniors on Medicare. This event will include a free catered lunch courtesy of Oak Street Health. On July 28 you can also stop by the Main Library and speak with representatives from the American Job Center. Chat for a few minutes, grab a business card or flyer, or ask as many questions as you have. You can learn about this valuable resource and the various services they offer to anyone on the hunt for a job. The West Haven Prevention Council will hold two afternoon sessions (July 22 and 29) to chat with parents, caregivers, and youths about prevention education and resources. Finally, on July 31st, join Linda Pilgrim from Webster Bank as she hosts a presentation on spotting scammer fraud and some easy ways to protect yourself from these kinds of attacks. We encourage our Westies to take advantage of these free resources to help inform and educate our community!
While we take pride in providing free informational resources for West Haven, we also would be remiss if we didn’t also seek to provide fun, recreational activities for our citizens as well! Join us for an all-ages Movie Night on July 29, where we will be showing a screening of Snow White (2025)–light refreshments will be provided for this event! There is also still space left for kids grade 6 through 12 to sign up for our Video Game Club, hosted by Matthew Yanarella of MyProductionsCT–challenge your friends to your favorite Nintendo Switch games, test out a virtual reality headset, and enjoy some tasty snacks! Speaking of gaming, our Reference and Circulation Department at Main have made sure adults can get in on the fun of this year’s Summer Reading theme, “Level Up at Your Library”! Our Adult Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing; stop by either branch to pick up a CandyLand inspired board game (complete with spinner) where player complete challenges to finish the game board and be entered to win a prize! In addition to this, we have two back-to-back game nights scheduled for adults in August. On the evening of Aug. 6, join us for some video gaming fun complete with Smash Bros, game tournaments, and cosplay! On the next evening, enjoy a variety of card and board games-feel free to bring your favorite game to play!
As a reminder, don’t forget to try out our new free app–Libraries Online–where you can get notifications about your books, search for titles, place holds, renew loans, check your account, and much more! Until next time, Westies… stay cool, read, play, and remember your friendly neighborhood library is always here for you!