Rockingham Library summer programming

Modern Times Theater. Photo provided

ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Celebrate the start of the Rockingham Free Public Library’s annual summer reading program, “Oceans of Possibilities,” with a kick-off event on July 6, at 5 p.m., at the library with a live, in-person performance from Modern Times Theater and the 13th Annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover.

Back with a brand-new show, Rose and Justin of Modern Times Theater continue to update a classic puppet show full of laughs and music which follows the troubles and travails of puppetry’s favorite loudmouth, Mr. Punch. The skillfully operated hand puppets are made of upcycled materials, and are full of surprises and tricks, as is the elaborate stage. It’s a low-tech, old-time spectacle, entertaining to the young and the young at heart. By taking the best from the long tradition of Punch and Judy shows, and bringing the art form into the 21st century, this classic remains alive, vital, and hysterical to both children and adults today.

Don’t forget your stuffed animal.

The 13th Annual Stuffed Animal Sleepover will also help launch the summer reading program on July 6. What would your stuffed animal do if it spent the night at the library? Find out by bringing one of your stuffed animals to the library anytime between Wednesday, June 29 and Wednesday, July 6. When the Library closes for the day on July 6, the stuffed animals will spend the night (not the people). We’ll create a video of how your stuffed animal spent the night in the library. Find the RFPL Youth Department’s YouTube channel online to see videos from previous years. Don’t forget to pick up your stuffed animal on July 7.

In addition to special events, the library will feature regular programs including: Monday morning playgroups at 10:30 a.m. for infants and toddlers with free play and a light activity; Tuesday and Thursday Storytimes at 10:30 a.m.; STEAM activities Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., for ages 7–12; Make and Take Crafts on Thursdays at 3:30 p.m., for ages 9 and over; Friday 5 p.m. Minecraft Club; and Friday Night Movies at 6 p.m.

Come for a program and pick up a lunch. The library is once again partnering with the WNESU to be a summer lunch site. This free program is open to youth 18 and younger, no registration or qualifications necessary. Simply stop by the library and pick up lunch. We’re pleased to be a summer food site this year. Not only do we get to help feed kids, we help our families stretch their summer dollars farther. This program will run for the duration of the summer reading program.

Of course, there will be lots of reading this summer. Signing up is simple: stop by the library and put your name on a reading log. Then start reading. When kids update their reading logs at the library, they will be able to select a free book to keep – each week. Very young children are also invited to sign up for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, a year-round program supported by the Friends of the Rockingham Library to encourage family reading.

All programs are free and open to the public. For more information email youthservices@rockinghamlibrary.org, call 802-463-4270, go to www.rockinghamlibrary.org, or stop by the library at 65 Westminster St., Bellows Falls, Vt. Modern Times Theater performance is supported by a grant from VTLIB. The public movie site license, which permits the Library to legally show films publicly is provided by IMLS and VTLIB. The Summer Lunch Program is provided through a partnership with the WNESU Farm to School Café; this institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 

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