THE SMYTH PUBLIC LIBRARY PRESENTS:
Bedford Big Band (Summer Concert Series)
Wednesday, August 15th at 6:30 pm
A 20+ piece Big Band! Fun and stylish, truly everyone loves Swing and Big Band music! The band’s repertoire includes many of your favorite jazz and Big Band standards, Latin rhythms, waltzes, R&B, as well as some exciting contemporary arrangements that you’re sure to enjoy.
Friends Book Sale at Old Home Day
Saturday, Aug 18th
Stop by and pick up a new read!
Open Play with Gears! Gears! Gears!
Wednesday, August 22nd at 3pm
Build structures with gear toys!
Movie Night
The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island
Friday, August 24th at 6pm
Rated: All ages
FROM THE WORLDWIDE BEST-SELLING CHILDREN’S BOOK SERIES, THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THE BOXCAR CHILDREN IS HERE!
The Alden children have a home with their grandfather now: but their adventures are just beginning! The first surprise comes when they learn they’ll be spending the summer on a private island. A kind stranger who lives there is always happy to help the children out … but does this new friend have a secret? Featuring the voice talents of Martin Sheen, Dane DeHaan, J.K. Simmons and Joey King
Book Club
October 1964 by David Halberstam
Thursday, August 30th at 7:30pm
David Halberstam, an avid sports writer with an investigative reporter’s tenacity, superbly details the end of the fifteen-year reign of the New York Yankees in October 1964. That October found the Yankees going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series pennant. Expertly weaving the narrative threads of both teams’ seasons, Halberstam brings the major personalities on the field—from switch-hitter Mickey Mantle to pitcher Bob Gibson—to life. Using the teams’ subcultures, Halberstam also analyzes the cultural shifts of the sixties. The result is a unique blend of sports writing and cultural history as engrossing as it is insightful.
Cruising NH History
Tuesday, September 11th at 6pm
Learn about NH history markers with Michael Bruno.
Michael was born and raised in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. After serving in the U.S. Army for more than 23 years, Michael returned to New Hampshire in 2009. Michael has been a JROTC Army Instructor at White Mountains Regional High School in Whitefield since his military retirement. Michael attained an Educational Specialist (Ed. S) degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Michael resides in the historic mountain community of Bethlehem where he is actively involved in town government.
In 2017, Michael wrote and sponsored an historical marker commemorating Frances Glessner Lee, who made significant contributions to the study of forensics. Michael is also a certified New Hampshire Granite State Ambassador. In his spare time, Michael enjoys hiking in the White Mountains and riding his motorcycle with his wife Kristin along the country roads of New Hampshire.
Book Club
Thursday, September 13th at 11am
All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J. Church
With her uncanny knack for understanding the hidden lives of women, Elizabeth J. Church captures both the iconic extravagance of an era and the bravery of a young woman who dances through her sadness to find connection, freedom, and, most important, herself.
Sky Watch!
Monday, September 17th at 6pm
NH Astronomical Society will lead an indoor presentation. Sky watch to follow, weather permitting.
How to Harmonica Workshop
Tuesday, September 25th at 6pm
Mike Rogers has been playing harmonica since the age of fifteen. Mike performs with harmonica and guitar and is blind as a result of retinitis pigmentosa. He simultaneously draws on forty-eight years of professional musicianship, fifteen years of teaching secondary education and twenty years of performing in schools from Maine to Georgia and throughout the Bahamas. Mike is joined by his wife Beverly who brings to the duo ten years of substitute teaching experience as well as previous work as a children’s storyteller for the public library system in Peach County, Georgia. They have been presenting these workshops for the past thirty years.
Mike and Beverly offer harmonica workshops for folks, ages eight through adult. Each student receives a harmonica. The workshop teaches simple songs and basic techniques. Most, if not all, students come away with a feeling of accomplishment and self-worth. Attitudes shift in each and every student, as they become absorbed with the process of entering the world of music!
Book Club
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Thursday, September 27th at 7:30
“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
Walking France with Gale Carey
Wednesday, October 10th at 6pm
One pilgrim’s story of 500 miles on the Chemin de St. Jacques.
The Chemin de St. Jacques is an amazingly beautiful walking route cherished by the French and traveled by pilgrims for nearly 1000 years. The journey through lush woodlands, flower-laden fields, volcanic formations, and ancient villages and towns, allows for meditative walking, engaging conversation, and introspection. Gale made this 35-day trek last summer and brings us the story of her journey as a modern day pilgrim – from the practical to the philosophical.
Gale Carey
How to Knit/Crochet with Lia Cote
Thursday, October 11th at 6pm
Learn how to knit and crochet with Lia Cote!
12th Annual Beatles Night 2018
Saturday, October 13th at 7pm
Join us for a night of classic music!
Bizarre Birds of the World with Steve Hale from Open World Explorers
Wednesday, October 17th at 6:30pm
With over 10,000 bird species in the world, there are some extreme examples that stretch our understanding of what it means to be a bird. This entertaining and educational program features extreme examples of birds and bird biology. Examples include the Hoatzin, Kakapo, Oilbird, Standard Wing Nightjar, and more.
Halloween Party
Wednesday, October 31st at 3pm
Come in costume for games and snacks! All ages welcome!
Cultural History of Mt. Washington with Dan Szczesny
Tuesday, Nov. 13th at 6:30pm
Dan Szczesny will discuss his new book The White Mountain.
Ongoing Programs:
Thursday, August 30th at 7:30pm Reading group featuring October 1964 by David Halberstam (pick up your copy at the front desk)
Please see Reading Groups Page for a description of this months book.
Feel free to join the group for many interesting discussions!
Drop in Coloring night for all ages, all supplies provided, every Friday 6-7 pm. (packets also available for use in library anytime we are open)
Try out our new “Volunteer Your World” ideas at Smyth Public Library. Come to our monthly meeting (Last Monday of the month) or visit our Volunteer Your World Page
SEEKING WRITERS of all levels and abilities! We have a wonderful writing group at Smyth Public Library on the second and fourth Friday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Please let us know if you would like to be a part and sign up or just come by and start writing. Writers group meets 2nd and 4th Friday of each month at 6:30 pm
See the “children,” “teen,” and “music series” tabs for more great events!