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Bethlehem Public Library will transform into an 18-hole miniature golf course Sunday, July 8, from 1-5 p.m. For one afternoon only, guests of all ages, from pros to duffers, can putt their way through the stacks and see the library in a whole new light. The best part? There are no greens fees, and everyone is welcome.
Afternoon festivities will include snow cones and snacks from the Friends of the Library, craft stations throughout the library and so much more. Regular library services will be limited.
Keep score or just keep it casual; when there’s miniature golf at the library, everyone’s a winner. This free event is co-hosted by the Friends of the Library.
Evenings on the Green
Long before Libraries Rock! became the 2018 Summer Reading theme, our annual summer concert series, Evenings on the Green, has been entertaining audiences with a variety of musical performances.
This year, the series kicks off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 11, with The Lustre Kings, local favorites who will entertain with some rockabilly, country, blues and R&B.
Evenings on the Green continue with appearances by Craic Agus Ceol, Squeeze Play Accordion Band and Rick Bedrosian. The final concert in the series will be the Zucchini Brothers on Aug. 8. This family-friendly performance will start at 6:30 p.m. and include an ice cream social hosted by the Friends of Bethlehem Public Library beginning at 6 p.m.
The library’s casual outdoor concert series has been around for more than four decades. Concert-goers can bring a blanket or lawn chair, pick a spot on the Green, and get ready to listen to some great music. Evenings on the Green concerts are always free, appropriate for all ages, and they take place every Wednesday July 11-Aug. 8. Pick up a flyer or visit our website at www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org for times and details. Concerts will move indoors if it rains.
Holiday and summer hours
The library will be closed Wednesday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. The library is also closed Sundays in July and August, beginning July 1. You can access the library catalog and other library services online anytime at www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org.
It’s an honor
Bethlehem Public Library was honored to be recognized by the Upper Hudson Library System at its annual dinner earlier this month for two of our programs from 2017. Rubber Ducky Club was named Youth and Family Program of the Year, and The Federalist Papers earned Adult Program of the Year.
Rubber Ducky Club is an ongoing early literacy program, founded in May 2017, that breathed new life into the 1,000 books before kindergarten concept by focusing on the many different activities that build early literacy skills. Designed for children from birth to those entering kindergarten, Rubber Ducky Club focuses on five basic early literacy skills: talk, read, write, sing and play.
A grant through Humanities NY allowed the library to bring in humanities scholar Giacomo Calabria for the four-part Federalist Papers series, which kicked off in November. The topic has been of particular interest with the current fascination about all things related to Alexander Hamilton and the timely idea of checks and balances that is discussed at length in the papers.
Library staffers were so pleased with the enthusiastic response to both of these programs and promise to continue working hard to plan and pursue these types of award-winning offerings.
Sign up for Summer Reading
Are you ready to rock your reading this summer? Summer Reading sign-up for all ages is in full swing, and this year’s theme is Libraries Rock! Reporting for prizes begins July 2. Sign up online at www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org or in person, and check out upcoming programs on our website or in the latest version of the Footnotes newsletter. Preschoolers are invited to join the Rubber Ducky club to get started on early literacy activities for the summer and beyond!
All events are free and take place at Bethlehem Public Library, 451 Delaware Ave., Delmar. For information, call (518) 439-9314.
— Kristen Roberts