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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
March 2025
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Have you read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett?
When pondering the theme for our 2025 gala, this title alone was enough to inspire the magic we always hope to evoke in our big spring fundraiser. Published in 1912, the very same year that the Bixby Memorial Free Library opened its doors wide to the public, the spirit of The Secret Garden will come alive at this year's fundraiser and party of the season: The Bixby Secret Garden Gala on Friday, May 16, 2025.
The seasons, imagery, and themes contained within the pages of this timeless classic are evocative for us Vermonters, deep in the throes of winter. The Secret Garden explores the growing relationship between new friends from different walks of life, the earthy satisfaction of digging in the dirt, and the importance of opening our hearts to connection and joys that we may have never considered available to us.
Interested in helping make the Secret Garden Gala a blooming success? Lend your skills, talents, and contacts as a volunteer to make the process of creating the event as enjoyable as attending. Community, laughter, collaboration… let us know your interests here to work with us in the ways that feel joyful to you and we will sow the garden, together!
Read on for your invitation to The Secret Garden Gala on Friday, May 16, 2025.
Warmly,
Catharine Hays
Library Director
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What's New at the Library? | |
You're Invited to The Bixby Secret Garden Gala | |
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Join us for an enchanting evening at the Bixby Library on Friday, May 16th, from 7 to 11 PM, for this year’s highly anticipated Secret Garden Gala. Inspired by the beloved book The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, our annual fundraiser will be a night to remember under the library’s storied stained-glass dome in the magnificent marble rotunda.
Your ticket unlocks:
🌸 Bloomin' tunes by the Grift
🌷 Dancing in the Secret Garden
🌿 Local bites from field to fork
🌼 Enchanting elixirs
💐 Treasures in the live and silent auctions
🌱 Timeless memories in our photobooth
Tickets to last year’s Celestial Soirée sold out quickly—don’t miss your chance to experience this year’s most magical night! Click here to purchase your tickets, or visit us at the Bixby Library’s Circulation Desk to discover what lies behind the door to the Secret Garden Gala.
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That's a Wrap on our 7th Annual LEGO Contest | |
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On March 1st, the Bixby Memorial Free Library and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vergennes hosted the 7th Annual LEGO Contest, bringing together 44 entries across eight age groups in a celebration of creativity and imagination. Builders wowed judges and spectators with intricate designs, including models of Main Street, Planet Earth, and the Bixby Library!
Esteemed judges, Kevin Moyer, Owner of Vermont Frames & Foam Laminates, Erin Roche, Vermont Director of First Children’s Finance and President of the Bixby Library’s Board of Trustees, and Amber Lay, Assistant Director & Adult Services Librarian at the Bixby, carefully evaluated each entry based on originality, presentation, spatial complexity, and use of color, with winners receiving LEGO kits sponsored by Roundtree Construction.
“This is something we look forward to every year," one parent shared, "they’ve been building LEGOs all week instead of watching TV!” When asked why they loved the LEGO Contest, participants and spectators wrote “because I like to build them!!!,” “I get to see the creativity of the local youth!,” and “each creation brings JOY!”
Until next year, happy building.
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As spring draws near, it's time to start thinking about your garden plans. The Bixby's Seed Library has been restocked for the season with a variety of organic, non-GMO vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, all free for our library patrons.
The self-serve seed library is located in the library's historic card catalog in the lobby. Take what you need, save some seeds, and donate back to the library at the end of the season to help grow our collection.
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Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian
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On Tuesday, March 11th, the Bixby Book Club will discuss The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. I’ve heard only good things about this book from patrons returning it at the desk, so I am excited to learn what the group thinks.
I’ve been having so much fun covering Storytime, along with Bixby volunteers Carol and Diane, while the library looks to fill our Children’s Librarian position. What a great group of little ones! I really enjoy our time spent together with books, coloring pages, and crafts. Thank you for sharing this fun time with us at the library.
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I can’t imagine a better way to welcome spring than with the timeless tunes of Tournesol! Join us at the Bixby Library on Saturday, March 22nd from 12:30–2 PM for a lively afternoon of French-inspired jazz and swing. This talented six-piece band, featuring violin, accordion, and vocals, will transport you to the 1940s and ’50s with classics by Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf, and soothing Bossa Nova rhythms.
The music doesn’t stop there! Our Spring Concert Series continues on April 19th with Atlantic Crossing. For over two decades, Atlantic Crossing has filled New England dance floors with foot-stomping reels and soulful ballads in celebration of Vermont’s musical traditions.
Both concerts are free, thanks to a generous grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Freda Fishman Stroh Memorial Fund. Celebrate the joy of live music at the Bixby Library!
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Woodworkers and crafters! Allow me to introduce you to a well-written book that illuminates the craft of furniture making, the legacy of a father-son relationship, the startup of a business, and a love of wood and woodworking.
Ingrained, by Callum Robinson, is a true story of making beautiful furniture from interesting wood. As this young Scot shapes his life, he shapes wood. Ingrained is an interesting and captivating read.
Anonymous, Bixby Volunteer
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Writer Alma Cruz, inherits a small plot of land in the Dominican Republic and has the beautiful idea of turning it into a place to bury her untold stories.
Filomena, a local woman hired as the groundskeeper, becomes a sympathetic listener as Alma’s characters tell their secret tales.
The narrative is presented from multiple perspectives across past and present timelines. The Cemetery of Untold Stories presents an interesting concept, told by a wonderful storyteller.
Martha Sanborn, Circulation & Information Desk Manager
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Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley | |
Set in the early 2000s, Deep Cuts explores Percy and Joe's relationship, beginning with a shared love of music, and quickly becoming something deeper—messy, exhilarating, and impossible to walk away from. As they chase their dreams, fall apart, and come back together, the novel beautifully captures the joy and frustration of creating art with someone you love.
Set against the rich backdrops of Berkeley, Brooklyn, and San Francisco, the sharp, heartfelt prose pulls you into late-night songwriting sessions, barroom debates, and the lingering question of whether passion and partnership can truly coexist.
Amber Lay, Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian
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Questions or comments?
Contact Bixby Bulletin Editor-in-Chief, Cedar Winslow.
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Library Hours:
Tuesday–Thursday: 10 AM–7 PM
Friday–Saturday: 10 AM–3 PM
(802) 877-2211
Contact Us
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