Get ready for spring with Pelham Healthy yards, a virtual visit to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens Park and a talk by meteorologist Joe Rao about the full eclipse of the sun on April 8. Hear about local author Jordan Salama's latest adventures and the life of Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the National Council of Negro Women. For all of this and more, please see below.

Programs with a 💻 icon will be on Zoom and programs with a 🏛 icon will be held at the Library.

Community Canned Food Drive

In honor of National Canned Food Month, we are partnering with United Way for a canned food drive benefitting Westchester and Putnam Food Pantries. A box is located at the Library by the Carol Place entrance where you can leave your donations. Thank you for your help!

Saturday, February 24 through Saturday, March 2

Seed Sowing Workshop with Pelham Healthy Yards

Have fun learning how to sow seeds outdoors to grow flowers in time for spring planting! Use recycled materials to create mini-greenhouses and grow hearty seedlings. It’s fun and easy and a great way to get outside. Join us indoors at the Library, where Pelham Healthy Yards will lead participants through the steps to create proper germination conditions for a selection of easy annual and perennial plants. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Saturday, March 2, 10:30 am-12 pm 🏛

Author Talk: Stranger in the Desert with Pelham Resident Jordan Salama

Jordan Salama's new book is inspired by old photographs and papers of his great-grandfather, a Syrian-born, Arabic-speaking Jewish immigrant to Argentina who in the 1920s worked as a traveling salesman in the Andes—and may have left behind forgotten descendants along the way. Encouraged by his grandfather, Jordan went in search of these “Lost Salamas,” traveling more than a thousand miles up the spine of South America’s greatest mountain range.

Join us for an evening with Jordan Salama as he discusses his new book Stranger in the Desert. Copies will be available for purchase from the author, but of course, you are also welcome to check a copy out from the Library.

Registration is suggested, but not required, for this in-person program. Click here to register.

Monday, March 4, 7-8 pm 🏛

English as a Second/Foreign Language (ESL) for Intermediate Students

Join us for a series of ESL classes with Pelham resident, EJ Sepp!

This class is intended for low-intermediate to advanced students who are learning English as a second or foreign language. (No beginners please!)

EJ Sepp has taught ESL for 20 years and is the co-author of English Express New York: A Cultural Reading & Writing Text for English Language Learners.



These classes are walk-ins that do not require preregistration or attending all sessions.

Mondays, March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 6-6:45 pm 🏛

Joe Rao: Adventures of an Eclipse Chaser

Are you ready for the total solar eclipse of April 2024? Total solar eclipses are comparatively rare, and people travel far and wide to see them. But on April 8, 2024, those who live in Eastern North America will have one delivered to their very doors!

Get ready with meteorologist Joe Rao, who has chased 13 eclipses around the globe over the past 50 years, and will be sharing his stories with us.

This program takes place on Zoom and registration is required. Click here to register.

Tuesday, March 12, 7-8 pm 💻

Food as Medicine with Dr. Kaushik

This series from Dr. Somesh N. Kaushik discusses the effect of food on the body and its healing abilities. Dr. Somesh N. Kaushik is the owner and chief medical practitioner of Dr. Kaushick’s Ayurvedic and Naturopathic Clinic in Cross River, NY. With over 35 years’ experience as an Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Kaushik is one of the most experienced Ayurvedic physicians in North America. He is the recipient of the Dhanwantri Award, his profession’s highest honor. Dr. Kaushik recently founded the Institute for the Advancement of Ayurvedic Sciences, a research and teaching institution. This program will take place on Zoom, and registration is required. Click here to register. The Zoom link will be emailed to you before the presentation.

Tuesday, March 12, 7-8 pm 💻

Those Bombastic Blonde Bombshells: Monroe, Mansfield, and Van Doren

Join us for a revealing study of blonde bombshells Mamie Van Doren, Jayne Mansfield, and Marilyn Monroe and the personal & professional challenges they experienced. Known as the 3 Ms, their careers intertwined, they crossed paths, and at times they were rivals, but the trajectory of their individual careers led to scandal and, for some, a premature death.

Attend in-person at the Yonkers Grinton I. Will Library, or virtually on Zoom. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Wednesday, March 13, 11 am-12 pm 💻

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens Park Ranger Talk

March into spring with the National Parks System! Founded by a Civil War veteran, and preserved by his daughter, today Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC is a National Parks site featuring an impressive collection of water lilies and aquatic plants. Join us for a virtual Park Ranger talk to learn more about the park, the stories of the people who created and preserved it, and the wildlife it still supports.

This program takes place on Zoom and registration is required. Click here to register.

Wednesday, March 13, 7-8 pm 💻

Crafty Adults: Flower Pins

Join our resident artist/instructor Sara Mallach as we think spring a little early. We'll put our fingertips to work sculpting keepsake pins with a simple yet beautiful variegated bloom design out of polymer clay.

This event will take place in-person at the Library and registration is required for each attendee. Click here to register. Sign up early, as space and supplies are limited.

Please note: Time change to 7:15 pm for Crafty Adults classes. Please arrive on time as late arrivals disrupt the class.

Monday, March 18, 7:15-8:15 pm 🏛

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House Park Ranger Talk

We're celebrating Women's History Month with the National Parks System! Educator, philanthropist, civil rights activist, founder of the National Council of Negro Women, advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt, and much more: Mary McLeod Bethune was called the “First Lady of the Struggle,” and the “Female Booker T. Washington.”



Join us for a virtual Park Ranger talk to learn more about her, and her home in Washington, D.C., which served as the first national headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women, and is now a National Parks site.

This program takes place on Zoom and registration is required. Click here to register.

Wednesday, March 20, 7-8 pm 💻

Women's History Month Resources

We have compiled a list to help you celebrate Women’s History Month with some of your favorite heroines (both real and fictional), and maybe even find some new ones. Click here to see this year's list.

Saint Patrick's Day Quiz

Get ready for St. Patrick's Day by stopping by the Library during the week of March 11-16 to complete our St. Patrick's Day quiz. Everyone who completes the quiz (or tries to) wins a green beaded necklace to ensure you have something green to wear on St. Paddy's Day. Quizzes are available at the front circulation desk.

One Million Digital Checkouts

This last year we reached an exciting milestone. Over ONE MILLION Libby Digital Books have been borrowed by Westchester Library System's Patrons!

Read more about it in Westfair Business Journal's Book Beat:

Westchester Library System (and patrons) reach digital milestone. Become part of our next digital milestone by checking out a book on Libby today!

Community Craft Table: Sally Ride's Spaceship

Stop by the community craft table this Women's History Month to make a spaceship. Learn about Sally Ride, the first American woman to go into space, and decide who you will put in your space ship to explore the universe.

Friday, March 1 through Saturday, March 30 🏛

Build Your Own Video Game: Space Invaders

Learn how to program with python by building your own version of Space Invaders! This class will pick up where we left off with Part II, but newcomers are welcome: the instructor will catch you up at the beginning of class. Attendees must bring their own fully charged laptop. This program is for children ages seven to 13 and takes place in-person at the Library. Registration is required.

To register, please email Tasha at ngross@pelhamlibrary.org with your name, your child's name, your child's age, and a phone number where you can be reached.

Saturday, March 16, 1:30-3 pm 🏛

Kids' Craft: Origami

No school? Looking for something to do? Join us at the Library for some creature-crafting fun! Create an origami animal (or two or a few). For ages five and up accompanied by an adult. No registration needed.

Wednesday, March 27, 3-4 pm 🏛

The Library would like to thank the Friends of the Town of Pelham Public Library for program support.

Current Library Hours are as follows:

• Monday: 1 pm-8 pm
• Tuesday: 10 am-5 pm
• Wednesday: 10 am-5 pm

• Thursday:10 am-8 pm
• Friday: 10 am-5 pm
• Saturday: 10 am-4 pm

• The library building is open to patrons for browsing and checking out materials. Computers, printer, and study areas are also available to patrons. Social distancing and wearing masks is greatly appreciated.
• We also continue to offer contactless, curbside pickup (you can place holds using the Westchester Library System app or through our online catalog.)
• You can visit our digital library and select ebooks, audiobooks through Overdrive (including the Libby App) and Hoopla or stream movies through Kanopy.
• Our librarians are always available to answer reference questions, give book recommendations, and provide technology help. Notary services are generally available during Library open hours. Please call in advance to confirm.
• Please call the library at 914-738-1234 or email library@pelhamlibrary.org with any questions.