Join us Thursday, March 5 at 6:30pm for Traditional Irish Music Night, an educational program featuring three leading musicians from the Irish music community: Patrick Bowling (Irish flute, whistles, bodhrán), Eamon Sefton (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Elias Cardoso (fiddle, accordion, vocals). Drawing on extensive performance, teaching and international touring experience, they present Irish music in an engaging and informative program for the public. Save your seat for this free program by registering through our Calendar of Events or by calling (978) 686-4080.

Beans! Garlic!

Join us as Emily Makrez, owner of F-Word Farm, helps us get ready for the planting season. This class is all about her obsession with beans – how to grow them, why they are good for us and the soil, and ways to use them. Emily will also teach another favorite to grow: garlic. Learn how to plant, harvest, cure and store them, some useful preserving tips … even how to perennialize them!
The class will be held Thursday, March 26 at 6:30pm. Register for this free program through our Calendar of Events or by calling (978) 686-4080.

Virtual programs

In March, we have two virtual programs for you.
First, on Monday, March 16 at 7pm, Shannon McKenna Schmidt will be discussing her new book, “You Can’t Catch Us: Lady Bird Johnson’s Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her” – the story of a women-led operation and an appeal for understanding and civility.
Then, on Monday, March 30 at 7pm, we will be discussing “The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto: The True Story of Five Courageous Young Women Who Sparked an Uprising” with Holocaust historian Elizabeth Hyman. She introduces five young, courageous Polish Jewish women, known as “the girls” by the leadership of the resistance and “bandits” by their Nazi oppressors — who were central to the Jewish resistance.
These programs will be presented on Zoom. You will need to register via the link on our online Calendar of Events to receive the Zoom link.

Library hours

The library will be closed Friday, March 6 for a special event. Also, a quick reminder: Please call ahead before heading over if the weather is looking especially wintery.

Book Sale

It’s time for the Spring Book Sale! The Friends of the Nevins Library will be holding the book sale March 27-30. Friday, March 27 from 5-8pm will be Preview Night where members of the Friends can have the first look at the sale; all others pay $20 to enter. The Book Sale is open and free to the public Saturday, March 28 from 9am-5pm and Sunday, March 29 from noon-4pm. Monday, March 30 from 9am-8pm is Bargain Day, during which you can purchase a bag for $10 and stuff it as full as you can!
The Friends are always looking for volunteers to help put together the Book Sale, with most of the help needed starting the second week of March. If you are interested in helping out, please call Bev Winn at (978) 686-4080 ext. 31.

Teen After-School Clubs

• Book Babble: Wednesday, March 4 at 4pm. This month we’ll be discussing “Ash’s Cabin” by Jen Wang. Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash’s age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it’s still there, waiting for him to come back … or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life. Pick up your copy at the Main Desk.
• Teen Anime Club: Thursday, March 5 at 4pm.
• Teen Arts & Crafts Club: Wednesday, March 11 at 4pm.
• Teen Gaming Club: Thursday, March 12 at 4pm.
• Teen Movie Club: Wednesday, March 18 at 4pm.

From the Children’s Room

You know how March always feel like a really long month? Well, it’s a good thing we have plenty of fun programs to keep kids and teens entertained all month long!
Our Peep-O-Rama contest is a good place to start: Kids and/or families use Peeps to make shoebox dioramas for display in the library, and patrons will vote on their favorites! You can make the dioramas at home, but we also have a couple of sessions at the library to help you get started (please see our website for details). And you won’t want to miss our Dinner & Movie screening of the latest movie starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in their amazing roles as Glinda and Elphaba – bring something to eat while you enjoy the show!
For parents and little ones (ages infant to 18 months), we’re bringing back our popular Baby Sign Language series: Join us to learn about the benefits of using sign language to help build communication skills, reduce frustration and enhance connections. This four-part series features a different theme each week and you can register for any or all of the sessions. The program is led by Mary Beilman, a Baby Sign Language Educator certified through the Institute of Pediatric Sleep and Parenting; it is part of our Growing Readers initiative, generously funded by the Castle Fund of Methuen.
Parents of children up to the age of 18 months might also enjoy our weekly New Parent Meet-Up, a relaxed get-together where you can connect with others in the community, share experiences and build your support network in a friendly, welcoming space. Also part of our Growing Readers initiative, this meet-up takes place Thursdays at 10am.
As ever, we’ll also have our usual variety of preschool activities, storytimes, history and craft programs, book groups, visits with Murphy the Dog and teen programs, as well as our new Pokémon club – keep an eye on the Youth Services Department calendar and Facebook page to keep track of what’s in store!
Happy March, and Happy Reading!
For an extensive list of Nevins Memorial Library happenings, check out nevinslibrary.org.