Wild Card Wed., fire dept. celebrate First Responders Day

Oct. 28 was First Responders Day.

The Wild Card Wednesday kids made a sign and decorated cupcakes to thank all the folks at Charlotte Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service for the amazing work they do. They met up with a children’s center class at the fire station to express their appreciation in person.

Everyone got a tour, explored the vehicles and learned a lot about what first responders do.

Family Programs

Discovering the life of water
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m.-noon
Declan McCabe, aquatic ecologist and educator, brings his insight to the library for a hands-on water exploration event. With microscopes and other tools, you’re invited to investigate life under and around the stones of our rivers and lakes. Registration appreciated but not required.

Vermont Reads ‘Gather’
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 5:30 p.m.
Join the final program related to the Vermont Reads book for 2024. The library will be making stone soup and serving with fresh-baked bread so stop in to celebrate the value of community. If you haven’t yet read “Gather,” pick up a copy to take home and enjoy. Author Kenneth Cadow won the Kirkus young readers’ literature prize, for the young adult novel about a boy living in poverty with his mother, who is struggling with opioid addiction. The jurors wrote of the National Book Award finalist, “Humor, grace and tenderness bring to life this beautifully realized story.”

Programs for kids

Preschool story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
Come to the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.

Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Play in the preschool years enables children to explore and make sense of the world around them, as well as to use and develop their imagination. Explore the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, playdoh — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Wednesday morning play-based learning at the Charlotte Library.

Wildcard Wednesdays
Wednesdays, thru Nov. 20, 2-3:30 p.m.
Who knows what Wednesday will bring? Science sessions? Crafts and games? Sign up and show up on Wednesdays to join in the fun activities for kids fourth grade and up. For registration information, contact the library.

• Wednesday, Nov. 6 & 13: Get Messy with Megan — Join artist and art therapist Megan McSwain Mann for some art-making fun.
• Wednesday, Nov. 20: Edible Creativity — Make edible decorations for Thanksgiving tables, including cookie place cards and candy flowers.

Babytime
Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. & first Saturdays, 10 a.m.
You’re invited to an unstructured hour for parents, caregivers and babies to play, explore books and chat in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 18 months.

Let’s Lego
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Drop-in for Lego free play. We’ll have loads of Lego bricks out, along with some books and prompts for inspiration. For all ages. Please note: Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Programs for adults

Stillwater meditation
Saturdays, 9 a.m.
Poetry and meditation are offered freely and in person to the Charlotte community. Come for quiet reflection, contemplation and gentle meditation instruction. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of our time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome.

Charlotte Grange talk, tour & pie
Sunday, Nov. 10, 1-3 p.m.
Jenny Cole, local history curator at the Charlotte Library, shares the story of Charlotte’s cheese factories and creameries at the Grange. These small businesses provided a range of dairy products for local and more distant markets. Grange member Trina Bianchi then leads a tour of the historic Grange building. Homemade pie and local ice cream round out the afternoon.

‘Becoming Animal’ film showing
Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.
A collaboration between filmmakers Emma Davie (“The Oil Machine”) and Peter Mettler (“The End of Time”) and the influential writer and geophilosopher David Abram (“The Spell of the Sensuous”), “Becoming Animal” is an urgent and immersive audiovisual quest, forging a path into the places where humans and other animals meet. Join a brief discussion and refreshments following the film.

Tech help at senior center
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 10-11 a.m.
Email enigma? Kindle conundrum? App apprehension? Computer questions? Or maybe you want to learn how to use your library card to read or listen to books on a device. Sign up for a 20-minute, one-on-one session at the senior center with Charlotte Library’s technology librarian for some tech support. She will troubleshoot with you and will provide suggestions for next steps.

Make sure to bring your device and any necessary login information. When registering, provide a specific topic or item you need help with and include the device you will be bringing to the session (e.g. Windows laptop, Mac laptop, Kindle, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, etc.). To register, call the senior center at 802-425-6345.

Zachary DeFranco & Chris Gribnau music
Saturday, Nov. 16, noon-1 p.m.
Enjoy folk tunes and instrumentation with these two Charlotte musicians.

Mystery book group
Monday, Nov. 18, 10 a.m.
In “The Murder of Mr. Wickham,” a summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters. As tempers flare and secrets are revealed, it’s clear that everyone would be happier if Mr. Wickham got his comeuppance. Yet they’re all shocked when Wickham turns up murdered, except, of course, for the killer hidden in their midst. Copies available at the library circulation desk.

Recurring programs

Book chat
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet each week to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. No registration necessary.

Crochet & knit night
Wednesdays, 5-6:30 p.m.
Join in a casual weekly session of crocheting and chatting, knitting and catching up. Bring your project or start a new one with yarn and needles available at the library, along with plenty of books to instruct and inspire. For teens and adults.

Short story selections
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 1 p.m.
Join library director Margaret Woodruff to share and discuss short stories old and new. Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Join Zoom meeting.

Library contact information:
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email

For the latest information about programs, books and activity kits, sign up for the newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/n5usd25r.

The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., unless otherwise rescheduled following the Opening Meeting Law. Contact the library or visit the library website for more information.