Bellingham Public Library: News & Events for December
Nov 30, 2021 06:00AM ● By Pamela Johnson
Bellingham Public Library
Library hours are Monday & Wednesday, 9:30 AM to 8 PM; Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30 AM to 7 PM; and Friday & Saturday, 9:30 AM to 3 PM. The library will be closed for Christmas and New Year’s on Friday & Saturday, Dec-ember 24th and 25th and Friday & Saturday, December 31st and January 1st. For updates to library programs and services, please see the library website, www.bellinghamlibrary.org. (Click on the red alert banner on the top of the page for details.)
• Bellingham Skein Artists Adult Knitting Group is a drop-in group that meets weekly on Wednesdays, at 6 pm.
• Book Club generally meets on the first Monday of the month. Email Reference Librarian Cecily Christensen at [email protected] for details.
• Friends of the Library generally meet on the second Tuesday of the month, at 7 PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Library Board of Trustees generally meets on the second Thursday of the month, at 7PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Adult Library Writing Group generally meets on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Chess Club, Grades 4-9, will continue in 2022. Meghana Kunamneni, a Bellingham resident and student at the Montrose School, a two-time Rhode Island state chess champion and 2021 North American Youth Championship sixth-place winner, is expanding the chess program at the library, offering two sessions weekly for grades 4—9, one for beginners and a second for intermediate players. Meghana stresses that chess helps kids with focus, self-confidence, patience, logical thinking skills, imagination, problem solving, memory, and mental agility; additionally, it raises IQ. Registration is required for this program. The January session will begin on Monday, January 24th, and go through Monday, April 25th.
Beginner Class—New to chess? Sign up for Mondays at 4 PM.
Intermediate Class—Have you played before or taken Meghana’s beginner class? Sign Mondays at 5 PM.
Friends of the Library Holiday Fundraiser
It’s time for the Friends of the Library’s annual Purple Umbrella Holiday Fundraiser. Purple Umbrella sells unique handmade jewelry from a variety of artisans. From November 30th to December 11th, order gifts at www.purpleumbrella.com and enter the code “Bellingham” in the Special Instructions box at checkout. The Friends of the Library will get 20% of your purchase from Purple Umbrella. Go to the library website for more information.Special Programs
Please note: Following the lead of the Bellingham Public Schools, masks are required at all indoor children’s events for everyone ages 3 & up, regardless of vaccination status.• SAT Prep: Tricks & Tips. Presented by Hannah Sieber, owner of TriTutoring, LLC, on Saturday, December 4th, at 1 PM. This lesson will help you get to know the SAT and the study strategies needed to prepare. From understanding the sections, to quick tricks for the writing section, to “magic numbers,” Hannah will cover a wide variety of tips and tricks for the test. For more information about Hannah, please visit www.tritutoring.com or for answers to specific questions, email her at [email protected]. Parents are also welcome to join. Registration is required.
• The Polar Express Extravaganza. On Friday, December 10th, at 5:30 PM, and again at 6:30 PM, our Polar Express Extravaganza returns. Hear The Polar Express story, meet Santa, and do some other seasonal activities. Sign up for your preferred time slot for this one-hour program. Masks are required.
• Gingerbread Mania. On Saturday, December 11th, at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, listen to The Gingerbread Man and decorate (and eat!) a gingerbread person. Please register. Masks are required.
• Local Author Event with Chris Woolf. On Monday, December 13th, at 6:30 PM, hear from author Chris Woolf about his time in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has made the headlines this year, but the conflict has deep roots. Chris Woolf has a new book out about his traumatic misadventures over there, called Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush: A Memoir of Fear and Kindness in Afghanistan.
Woolf was a journalist for the BBC, and in 1991 he went to Afghanistan to see if he’d like the life of a foreign correspondent. He bumbled right into the war. Come hear Woolf describe his troubles and discuss the background to the conflict. There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions regarding the events of this year. You may have heard Woolf as “The History Guy” on National Public Radio’s (NPR’s) The World (on WGBH 89.7), so he’s the person to turn to for explanations to complicated situations. Registration preferred but not necessary.
• New Year’s Eve Party. Thursday, December 30th, at 11:15 AM. For children of any age. Join us for New Year’s Eve party fun! Please register; masks are required.
Other Children’s Programs
Details on the following programs are available on the library website (https://www.bellinghamma.org/library/kids) and calendar (https://bit.ly/3xMECCt):After School Kids (ASK), Alphabits, Baby Time, Chess Club for Kids Grades 4-9, Country Club for Homeschoolers, Film Fridays, Graphic Novel Book Club, Homeschool Programs, Mother-Daughter Book Club, Preschool Science, Ring a Ding, STEAM Time and Teen Room Activities. Masks required.
Other Adult Programs
Additional details of these programs are available on the library calendar (https://bit.ly/3xMECCt).• Bellingham Skein Artists Adult Knitting Group is a drop-in group that meets weekly on Wednesdays, at 6 pm.
• Book Club generally meets on the first Monday of the month. Email Reference Librarian Cecily Christensen at [email protected] for details.
• Friends of the Library generally meet on the second Tuesday of the month, at 7 PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Library Board of Trustees generally meets on the second Thursday of the month, at 7PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Adult Library Writing Group generally meets on the second Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. Send email to [email protected] for details.
• Chess Club, Grades 4-9, will continue in 2022. Meghana Kunamneni, a Bellingham resident and student at the Montrose School, a two-time Rhode Island state chess champion and 2021 North American Youth Championship sixth-place winner, is expanding the chess program at the library, offering two sessions weekly for grades 4—9, one for beginners and a second for intermediate players. Meghana stresses that chess helps kids with focus, self-confidence, patience, logical thinking skills, imagination, problem solving, memory, and mental agility; additionally, it raises IQ. Registration is required for this program. The January session will begin on Monday, January 24th, and go through Monday, April 25th.
Beginner Class—New to chess? Sign up for Mondays at 4 PM.
Intermediate Class—Have you played before or taken Meghana’s beginner class? Sign Mondays at 5 PM.
Register on the library calendar for the January 24th session to attend all sessions.
