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THE BLAST
THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM
WALLKILL PUBLIC LIBRARY
| | | Thank you for your support! | | | | |
Many thanks to our community for coming out to vote on the Wallkill Public Library 2026 Budget and Trustee elections. We greatly appreciate your support and will continue to work hard to earn that support every day! On behalf of all of the staff at the library we really do appreciate our community!
A special thank you to Larissa Burke, Lisa Palmer, and Merrie Witkin for once again committing to helping the Library by volunteering their time to serve on our Library Board! We're humbled by your efforts, and those of the rest of the board, on our behalf!
| | | | Thanks to Brian Robinson from Robinson's Wildlife for a great program Tuesday night. The array of birds of prey and reptiles he brought were fantastic, and his presentation was fun and educational. We're thrilled we were able to have him present for us. Thank you as well to everyone who came out to attend! | | | September is National Library Card Sign-up Month | | | |
Already have a library card?
Share the benefits of your library card that you’ve already discovered with a friend! This month, you can refer a friend! In September, take a referral card and fill it out with your information. Give the card to a friend who needs a library card. When your friend applies for a library card, you will both be entered into a prize drawing! Win! WIN!
Stop by Wallkill Public Library or visit us online at www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org to sign up for your card today. Because with a library card, the possibilities are truly endless.
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Wood Burned Mushrooms
It was a full house for Workshop Wednesday's wood burned mushrooms workshop! Stay tuned for the next pyrography program, coming in October!
| | The Great Give Back / Ulster County Food Fight | | | | |
As part of the Great Give Back—an annual New York State Library initiative to support local communities—the Wallkill Public Library is participating in the Ulster County Food Fight and collecting donations for the Wallkill Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.
Through Saturday, October 18, we invite patrons to drop off unopened, unexpired, non-perishable food items at the library. Your generosity will help make a meaningful difference for families in need right here in our community!
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Thanks to the Friends of the Wallkill Public Library for purchasing the new Lego kits for the library. We got good use of them during the Weekend of Wallkill Lego Build Contest.
We appreciate the hard work of the Friends and the help. To learn more about what the Friends are doing, or how you can help out, please check them out on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577302923973
| | Thank you to all who purchased one (or several) of the gorgeous chrysanthemums at the Friends of the Wallkill Public Library annual Mum Fundraiser during the Weekend of Wallkill festivities. Your purchase helps support all the good things happening at the library. Thank you also to our friends at Wallkill Greenhouse who supplied the beautiful plants. | |
The Hawk Watch is back!
Wallkill Public Library will once again be marking the annual autumn hawk migration by encouraging our patrons to report their hawk sightings! Swing by the library during our regular operating hours now through October 31 to log your raptor sightings in our hawk watch book. We're eager to learn about all of the amazing raptors you'll spot.
Library hours can be found here: https://www.wallkillpubliclibrary.org/pages/index/225512/hours-directions
| | | Final Wings Over Wallkill of the Season! | | | | |
October 11 at 8 AM
at the Shawangunk Grasslands
National Wildlife Refuge
Join us for the last Wings Over Wallkill birdwatching walk of the season! We'll be meeting in the parking lot of the Grasslands located at 902 Hoagerburgh Road Wallkill, NY 12589. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, and to bring your cameras or binoculars. Birdwatchers of all experience levels are welcome, from first-timer to seasoned experts.
Registration is required. You can register here:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/14266115
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Safety Pin Art
Wednesday, October 1 at 6 PM
Kick off October and get into the Halloween spirit with a fun and creative craft! Join us at the library on Wednesday, October 1 at 6pm to make spooky-themed safety pin art using colorful seed beads. Ages 8+. Registration is required.
Click the button below or use this link to register: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15280979
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Mah Jongg 101!
First class is October 4 at 11:30 AM
Library Reading Room
At Wallkill Public Library we love our Mah Jongg! Mah Jongg expert Eileen Masterson will once again be holding classes to teach attendees the ins and outs of the game. Eileen is an experienced mahjongg teacher and has led our mahjongg groups on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
This class is for beginners, and people hoping to re-learn the game after a hiatus. Patrons should be prepared to join her for all six weeks to truly learn the game. Feel free to bring simple snacks and covered drinks. Classes will be held on the following Saturdays in the library Reading Room:
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, October 4, 2025
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, October 11, 2025
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, October 18, 2025
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, October 25, 2025
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, November 1, 2025
- 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM, Saturday, November 8, 2025
*Registration is required and is for all 6 weeks. You may register here: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15424132
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NEW! Beyond the Book (Club)
Friday, October 3 at 4 PM
Beyond the Book is a monthly book club for tweens, where stories spark real-world adventures! This month, we’re diving into the thrilling I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis. Join us for lively discussions, hands-on survival kit building, and—of course—pizza! Come for the books, stay for the fun, and leave with skills that go beyond the page.
Registration is required. Click the button below or use this link to register:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15151279
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NEW! Pinochle
Mondays, 3 PM in the Library Reading Room
Things aren't all fun and games at the library, but we try to fit in our fair share of games for our patrons. Come and join the new Pinochle gathering in the library Reading Room on Mondays at 3pm starting on October 6th. If you're a novice player, we'll have some more experienced players to teach you the rules and how to play 4-handed pinochle. Please sign up and identify whether you are already a player or want to learn how to play. Registration is required.
Click the button below or use this link to register: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15334618
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NEW! Basket-weaving with Miss Donna
October 7 from 6-8pm
in the Library Reading Room
Join Miss Donna for a basket-weaving tutorial. Each attendee will be walked through the process of making a basket and will walk away with a basket of their own creation!
Registration is required. You can register here:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15001432
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NEW! Home School Art: Pumpkin ATCs
Friday, October 10 at 2 PM
Home school art offers a variety of projects geared to home schooled children.
This month: ARTIST TRADING CARDS! An ATC is an original, miniature work of art created and exchanged between artists. Learn how they were created, the guidelines for creation, and rules for exchange. We will make cards with the possibility of trading with other home school groups, artists or libraries! The theme of these cards will be PUMPKINS!
Click the button below or use this link to register:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15285514
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NEW! Pumpkin carving on the library lawn
Friday, October 31 from 2-3:30 pm
Haunted Lawn PUMPKIN CARVING! Join us for pumpkin carving on the library lawn!
We will have pumpkins, carving tools, tealights, music and light refreshments. After carving, the pumpkins will be lit and displayed along our sidewalks for the library's haunted lawn display. Sign up today, reserve your spot! Ages 5+ Registration required.
Click the button or use this link to register:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15281871
| | | The 2025 RCLS Road Trip wraps Sept. 30 | |
Not too late to get a few more stamps in your travel log!
Although it might be a bit late to visit every library in the system (but not impossible) it's still worth starting! Patrons have plenty of time to visit at least 5 libraries and earn a bonus prize ticket. For suggestions on 5-library days, visit the Getting Around tab of the Road Trip LibGuide. There are now more bonus prizes! Make your visits by September 30 to be in the prize drawing!
Thanks to legislative sponsors, RCLS is able to offer more bonus prizes! When a patron earns a bonus prize ticket (every 5 libraries) they will now have the chance to win:
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3-Year New York State Empire Pass - TWO AVAILABLE
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$250 gift certificate to The Kartrite Resort and Indoor Waterpark - TWO AVAILABLE
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Learn more at https://guides.rcls.org/RoadTrip2025
#RCLSStamped #RCLSRoadTrip25
| | FUN FACT: Wallkill Public Library has received an additional 282 visits by RCLS Road Trippers to date this summer! | | Friends of the Wallkill Public Library Fundraiser | | |
The Friends of the WPL are selling beautiful, sturdy canvas bags printed with our logo to continue our fundraising efforts.
One bag costs $15, with two bags for $25. You can purchase one (or two!) at the library circulation desk. Thank you for helping us do more for our library.
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Sign up for our take and make herbal tea growing kit!
Each month register for a new herbal tea kit to grow at home. Kits will include basic instructions and information, a starter pot, starter soil and seeds.
Each month register for a new herbal tea kit to grow at home. Pick up is on the third Friday each month between 12p-5p. Kits will include basic instructions and information, a starter pot, starter soil and seeds.
Registration is required. Any take-and-make kits not picked up within one week of the pick-up date will be offered to the public.
| | Click the titles to link to our online catalog to read descriptions, reviews, and place holds. | | If you would like to attend virtually, contact Kim O'Sullivan at kosullivan@rcls.org. | | |
The Adult Fiction Book Club will be meeting on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 3:45pm to discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.
Sixty years after its original publication, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before.
Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
-- from Goodreads.
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November's Adult Fiction selection
The Adult Fiction Book Club will be meeting on Wednesday, November 12 at 3:45pm to discuss When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole.
Rear Window meets Get Out in this gripping thriller from a critically acclaimed and New York Times Notable author, in which the gentrification of a Brooklyn neighborhood takes on a sinister new meaning...
-- Goodreads
| | | Saturday Morning Book Club | | | | |
The Saturday Morning Book Club will hold their next meeting on Saturday, September 27 at 10:30 a.m. They'll be discussing The Wedding People by Alison Espach.
A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew.
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other.
In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.
-- from Goodreads
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October's Saturday Book Club pick is...
"The Unmaking of June Farrow" by Adrienne Young. We'll be discussing it on Saturday, October 18 at 10:30 AM.
In the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina, June Farrow is waiting for fate to find her. The Farrow women are known for their thriving flower farm—and the mysterious curse that has plagued their family line...
With The Unmaking of June Farrow, Adrienne Young delivers a brilliant novel of romance, mystery, and a touch of the impossible—a story you will never forget.
-- from Goodreads
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2025 Reading Challenge
Join the year-long 2025 Reading Challenge at the Wallkill Public Library! Ask for your challenge card at the Circulation Desk. Read a book for each month as outlined on our challenge card and earn one raffle ticket for every completed month. Complete three challenges, and you’ll receive a special incentive prize plus an extra ticket for the final prize drawing.
The grand prize will be announced later, and the drawing will be held on Friday, January 2, 2026. Don’t miss out on the fun and the chance to win fantastic prizes while expanding your reading horizons!
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Expanded Tech Support
10:00-4:00 PM weekdays
Technology doesn't just give you headaches on Thursdays. So, the Wallkill Public Library will be offering Tech Support from 10-4 on weekdays from now on, rather than just on Thursdays from 2pm until 4pm. So, if you're having issues with your cellphone, tablet, or other technology please stop by the front desk of the library. We'll be happy to lend a hand if we can.
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Textile Tuesdays
The Wallkill Quilter's Circle is sponsored by the Wallkill Public Library. The Circle meets for Textile Tuesdays in the Community Room at the Shawangunk Town Hall on Tuesdays from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Bring your present project and your lunch and join us! No registration necessary.
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Mahjong Meet-ups
Every Wednesday at 1 PM and Thursday at 6 PM the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs in the Reading Room. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required
Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!
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Lend-A-Pole Program
Thanks to the Federated Sportsmen’s Clubs of Ulster County (FSCUC), patrons are able to borrow fishing poles from the library!
The FSCUC donated a Lend-A-Pole cabinet filled with poles, tackle boxes, and informational pamphlets to the library. Patrons can check fishing poles out just as they would a museum pass or book. Borrowers also get to take out – and keep! - a tackle box, as the FSCUC will replenish the supply when it gets low.
Ask at the circulation desk for assistance.
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Battery Recycling Made Easy
Wondering what's the best way to get rid of those used batteries rolling around in your junk drawer?
The Library accepts used batteries and cell phones to be recycled! You will find the WeRecycle Battery Box located on our window seat. Please use a plastic baggie (found on the side of the box) to place your batteries or cell phones in before placing them in the battery recycle box. Quick, easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly!
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Clynk Bottle & Can Collection
Stop by the circulation desk to grab a Clynk bag and tag, then simply:
- Fill the bag with aluminum cans and plastic bottles eligible for the NY bottle deposit.
- Donate your filled Clynk bag by dropping it off at the Clynk collection area located at the entrance of your local Hannaford grocery store. Follow the instructions on or next to the Clynk door.
Together, we can all make a positive impact on the environment and help the library at the same time!
| | Children's Program Highlights | | This week, Zoe the Therapy Dog visited Family Storytime. In addition to enjoying hugs and attention from the children, she had the opportunity to hear them play music as well. | | "Talk Like a Pirate Day" on September 19 was celebrated by reading a book and making a craft about pirates...ARRRRRGH! | | During the Weekend of Wallkill, families gathered in the Town Hall Community Room to display their creativity and Lego building skills. | | 1000 Books Before Kindergarten | | |
Wallkill Public Library is proud to announce we're still participating in the 1000 Books before Kindergarten program.
This program is a national initiative which promotes bonding through reading between infants and young children and their caregivers/parents using a simple and fun approach to establish strong early brain development and literacy skills. There are also incentive prizes along the way! Any child from birth to kindergarten-age can participate.
This is a multi-step program that takes approximately 1 to 3 years for each participant to complete. caregivers and parents who are interested in participating in this with their infants and young children should speak with Miss Sarah, or any of the library staff members at the desk if you're interested in participating or registering a reading milestone!
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Great reading!
Congratulations to Nellie M. for reading 200 books. Way to go, Nellie!
| | Ongoing Children's Programming | |
TUESDAYS
10:30 AM Family Storytime
Children of all ages are welcome. The books and activities will be centered around children ages 4-10 years of age. Registration is required.
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11:00 AM Crafting Caboodles
Join Miss Sarah for crafts in the Children's Room. We will celebrate a different theme every week by making fun creations! Ages 3+ (younger children may attend, but this may require more assistance from the parent). Registration is required.
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11:30 AM Take & Make Craft Sign-up deadline
If you aren't able to attend Crafting Caboodles, register for a Take and Make Craft. The craft will be ready on Thursday morning through the following week. Registration is required.
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WEDNESDAYS
11:00 AM STEM Explorers
Ages 4+. A wide variety of topics and activities pertaining to science, technology, and math will be covered. (Younger children may attend, but this activity may require more assistance from the parent.) Registration is required.
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THURSDAYS
10:30 AM Infant and Toddler Storytime
The books and activities will be centered around children ages 0 to 2-3 years of age. Music, finger play, and sensory activities for infants/toddlers may also be included. Registration is required.
Take & Make Craft Pick-up available anytime after 10AM for the next week.
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10:30 AM Crafting Caboodles NEW!
Join Ms. Sarah for Saturday crafts from 10:30 to 11am on September 13 in the library Children's Room (for children age 3 & up). This will be a "repeat" of the previous Tuesday's craft.
Our next meeting is:
Saturday, October 11 from 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Learn more and register here: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15405221
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10:45 AM Lego Club NEW!
This program is for children ages 3-11 who enjoy building with Lego bricks. During sessions, participants will be able to test the creativity and ability by engaging in Lego building challenges, along with building just for enjoyment.
Our next meeting is:
Saturday, October 25 from 10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Learn more and register here:
https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15405263
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Zoe the Therapy Dog
Join Miss Sarah for Storytime in the Children's Room at the Wallkill Public Library... with our special guest, ZOE THE THERAPY DOG on Tuesday, October 14! Zoe loves to join in on the fun - she also enjoys being read to and will take some gentle pets along the way… she might even surprise us with some tricks!
Click the link to register: https://wallkillpubliclibrary.libcal.com/event/15010425
| | | Click the titles to link to our online catalog to read descriptions, reviews, and place holds. | | Local Vaccination Clinics | | Business services available at the library | |
Copy & Print
Copying and self-service printing is available from our public access computers.
- Letter size B&W $.10
- Legal size B&W $.20
- Letter size Color $.30
- Legal size Color $.40
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Fax
Faxes can be sent and received at a charge of $1.00 per page.
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Scan
Scan documents to your portable USB drive. There is no charge for this service!
| | Library services at a glance | |
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Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
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Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
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Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
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Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
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In-person programming for all ages!
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Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for the Empire Pass, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Historic Huguenot Street Tour Pass, Mohonk Preserve, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
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We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.
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