Update to Library Hours

Closed on Monday, October 10 for Indigenous Peoples' Day

They did it! We are so proud of Henry and Elora for finishing their journey to 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. They are regular visitors to the library, and we look forward to watching their continued growth as readers!

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten provides an innovative yet fun approach to establishing strong early literacy skills. Parents and caregivers can sign up for this free program at the Ledyard Public Library and keep track of the books they read with their children. This program helps parents and caregivers instill the confidence necessary to become strong readers and be successful in school and life.

The concept is simple, but the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, or toddler. The goal is to read 1,000 books (yes, you can repeat books!) before your child starts kindergarten. Sound hard? It's as easy as reading one book a night. You will have 365 books in one year, 730 books in two years, and 1,095 books in three years. Considering most children start kindergarten at five, you have more time than you think!

Giggles and Wiggles

Wednesdays, October 5, 12, and 19

10:30 a.m.

Bill Library

Ages Infant –  3

Great stories, fun finger plays, and lots of dancing. Registration is not required, however space is limited to the first 15 families.

Preschool Storytime

Thursdays, October 6, 13, and 20

10:30 a.m.

Gales Ferry Community Room

Ages 3 – 5

A fun and energetic storytime! Learning stations will be offered at the end of each storytime to actively engage, entertain, and build the skills of the children who participate. Registration is not required, however space is limited to the first 15 families.

Let’s Create!

Decorate a Velvet Art Tote

Wednesday, October 5

4:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Ages 5-12

This program will explore different arts and crafts, and occasionally we’ll do a cooking project! We meet every other month, and projects are geared toward independent workers. Younger siblings are welcome if parents are there to assist and enough supplies are available.

Operation Sunshine

Saturday, October 15

10:30 a.m.

Bill Library

Grades 3 – 5

Educators from the Submarine Force Library and Museum will teach students about The Nautilus submarine. Students will gain insights into the mission and exploration of the nuclear sub during its 1950s endeavor, as well as skills in navigation, mapping, and personal experiences from primary documents. 

Wings of Fire Trivia

Friday, October 21

2:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Grades 2 – 6

Do you and your friends know everything about the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland? Test your skills and you may be the winner of a gift card to Alice in the Village. Sign up in teams or individually to participate.

Trunk-or-Treat

Friday, October 28

5:45 p.m.

Town Green

All ages

We are happy to collaborate with Ledyard Parks & Recreation at the annual Trunk-or-Treat event. Dress in your costume and trick or treat through the decorated car trunks. Make sure you stop by the Ledyard Public Library trunk for a treat and some library swag!

Fall Fun Fest

Saturday, October 29

10:00 a.m.

Bill Library

PreK – Grade 6

Join us to hear stories, create crafts, make a spooky treat, have your face painted, and more! The Teen Advisory Board is helping put on this event for our younger patrons. Costumes are welcome but not required.

Teen Advisory Board

Monday, October 3

4:00 p.m.

Bill Library

We are meeting to discuss and plan the Fall Fun Fest and are always looking for new members. If you are interested in contributing to your library and community, please email Mrs. Burt at sburt@ledyard.lioninc.org.

Sweets and Treats

Monday, October 17

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Ledyard Congregational Church

Grades 7 – 12

This popular program is back! Join us to learn tips and tricks from Alex Rose, a pastry chef at Oyster Club in Mystic. For our first meeting, we will be making spooky treats. Sign up today!

Lotus Lantern Craft Workshop

Saturday, October 1

11:00 a.m.

Gales Ferry Community Center

Ages 12 – Adult

A member of the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project will guide participants step-by-step on how to make a lovely lotus flower lantern using colored paper and wire frames.

Ledyard Cookbook Club

Tuesday, October 4

(First Tuesday of each month)

12:30 p.m.

Gales Ferry Community Center

Join us for a culinary adventure to share recipes from this month's selections: New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Sally’s Cookie Addiction by Sally McKenney. Copies of these titles are available at the Gales Ferry Library.

Stock Discussion

Tuesday, October 4

7:00 p.m.

Gales Ferry Library or Zoom

Harry Pearson is back to lead us in a discussion about today’s stock market. This will be an open discussion about investing in the current market. Participants are encouraged to bring investment ideas and questions to this session.

Book Talk and Poetry Reading

Saturday, October 8

1:00 p.m.

Bill Library

Come meet local author Catherine DeNunzio and hear her recite poems from her book Enough Like Bone to Build On. It's a book that expresses nature and human nature, and teaches how we can overcome. 

"This is a truly life-affirming and joyful book, which looks the worst squarely in the face and rises above it into a realm of beauty and love." Book Review

American Presidents Book Discussion

Tuesday, October 11

7:00 p.m.

Gales Ferry Library or Zoom

This month, we will be discussing President Abraham Lincoln (our September discussion was postponed). There is so much to discover about this fascinating president that we will probably just break the ice.

Sit and Knit Circle

Saturday, October 22

10:00 a.m.

Holdridge Home & Garden Showplace

749 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard

United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, Holdridge’s, and the Ledyard Public Library, welcome you to participate in an outdoor knitting circle in support of Project Warm-Up. Bring a chair and dress for the weather. Cider and donuts will be served to knitters. Information about heating assistance for New London County will be available.

Senior Center Book Club

Wednesday, October 26

(Fourth Wednesday of each month)

10:30 a.m.

Ledyard Senior Center

12 Van Tassel Drive, Gales Ferry

For the month of October, we will be discussing The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. It's the perfect spine-chiller for October! Books can be picked up at the Gales Ferry Library.

Heather's pick:

Hacks: Season One

Hacks is a hilarious comedy series starring Emmy-award winner Jean Smart as legendary comedian Deborah Vance, who realizes she’s at the end of her career. Ava, played by Hannah Einbinder, is a “cancelled” twenty-five-year-old comedy writer who needs a job. The two must work together when their agent gives them no choice. Will the collaboration solve their career issues?

This role is perfect for Jean Smart. She’s snarky, she’s funny, and she’s real. Because her character is a seasoned professional, it’s interesting to watch her struggle with tried and true material vs. current trends. Hannah Einbinder does a great job playing her character’s entitled, know-it-all attitude. She thinks she has life figured out, yet every little bump challenges her. The series has won awards for writing, directing, and acting. Season one is available at the Bill Library in DVD format.

Stephanie's pick:

The Hawk's Way by Sy Montgomery

A short but lively read for me this month was Sy Montgomery's The Hawk's Way. Sy, who resides in New Hampshire, joins her neighbor for a falconry course. She learns how different life truly is for hawks; for example, the way their eyes can spot prey from a long ways away. Sy falls in love with these raptors and contemplates a bird of her own. What will her choice be?

Montgomery's previous books include The Soul of an Octopus, which I am currently reading. Fascinating!

Ledyard Public Library is happy to offer library cards to those currently teaching in Ledyard and Gales Ferry. These cards will allow access to our materials and online resources for Ledyard educators. The cards will be kept on file at either Bill or Gales Ferry Library, and the educator will be given the library card number to access our catalog. To apply for a "teacher card," bring a valid school ID to either Bill or Gales Ferry Library. If you have any questions, contact Stacey Burt, Youth Services Librarian, at sburt@ledyard.lioninc.org. Thank you to all the educators who work diligently for the students in Ledyard and Gales Ferry. We appreciate your hard work and are here to help in any way we can!

The Ledyard Seed Library is now closed for the season. We would like to thank our wonderful community and Ledyard Garden Club volunteers who helped clean, sort, package, and inventory seeds, as well as those who helped keep the seed boxes well stocked throughout the season. Special thanks to Roberta Levandoski, our Seed Library Advisor, for her continued dedication to our program. Thanks to all those who donated seeds, including individual gardeners, other seed libraries, commercial vendors, and local businesses (Holdridge Home & Garden Center, Fleming’s Feed, Norwich Agway, and Biotech Pest Controls). Special thanks to Eastern CT Community Gardens Association and the Ledyard Garden Club who generously support our program. Finally, many thanks to our patrons and community groups who have used our seeds, sent in photos of their gardens and produce, attended our programs, and enthusiastically supported our Seed Library. See you next year!

The Friends of the Ledyard Library would like to thank everyone for supporting the annual book sale at the Bill Library this year. I am again amazed at how many people chip in to make the sale a success. A more thorough thank you will appear in our next Friends announcement.

Upcoming Events:     

In October, we are supporting Children's Librarian Stacey Burt for the Trunk or Treat town event. We are asking for donations of candy for her to give out. She expects 350-400 children to stop by the library trunk. If you can help, please drop off bags of individually wrapped, fun-sized candy without nuts.

The next big event is Books & More. Gift-quality and holiday-themed books will be for sale, and we will have a silent auction. Please consider donating a themed basket or an item that can be combined with others to make a basket. We like baskets for different age groups. To ensure we are adhering to state guidelines, there will not be any alcohol in baskets. We are looking for donations of knitted, sewn, or other hand-made crafts for the craft sale. Finally, there will be a bake sale. Breads are particularly popular, as are pies, cookies, and brownies. 

Our basket team (Laura Norcia and Andrea Buka) is in need of baskets or other vessels to place items in, along with clear cellophane wrap and bags. Wide ribbon with wire edges is also needed. Please leave at Bill Library.

Remember to visit the ongoing book sale at the Book Cellar at Gales Ferry Library. It's open during normal library hours. All sales go toward support of the library.

Sarah Desormier, President

860-464-9538, Friends@Ledyard.lioninc.org

Donation Items Requested:

• Fun-sized Gummy Bears, Sour Patch Kids, Hershey's, 3 Musketeers, and M&M's (without nuts) by Fri. Oct. 21
• Baskets and other vessels; clear cellophane rolls and bags; wide, wire-edged ribbons; themed basket items by Mon. Nov. 7
• Monetary donations toward new book sale signs ($30 a piece, at least 10 are needed)