Thanks to all who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Program! We hoped you enjoyed the programming and trips to the library as much as we enjoyed seeing you!

While it’s hard to believe the SRP is over, our young patrons can still take part in this summer’s reading challenge, which continues through Aug. 27. Download the reading chart from our website, complete as many challenges as you can, and submit your chart and reading logs by August 28. Readers will win one raffle entry for every five challenges they complete, which will put them in the running for this year’s grand prize, four tickets to LEGOLAND! The grand prize winner will be randomly selected and notified the week of September 4. 

The library was among the local groups and organizations who had a table at the hamlet’s August 1 National Night Out event. The evening also featured fireworks, bounce houses, K9s, a DJ, and a bike raffle. The library’s Kim O’Sullivan and Michelle Greco gave out coloring books in honor of Coloring Book Day on Aug. 2.

Thank you to the Shawangunk PBA for organizing the event and having us, and to the police for all they do! You’re our heroes. 

Chris DiLeo, an English teacher who has written eight novels, will be at the Wallkill Public Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, to sign and sell his books!

Some of DiLeo’s titles include The Devil Virus, Dark Heart, Hudson House, and The Hands of Onan. All books were will be on sale for $10 (cash only).

The Weekend of Wallkill, which is sponsored by the Vision of Wallkill, is scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23. 

On Friday, Sept. 22, a Chair Yoga class will be offered from 7-7:45 p.m. in the courtroom of Shawangunk Town Hall. The event is free, but attendees are asked to bring nonperishable food to donate, as the instructor is passionate about feeding the homeless. Those interested in participating in the class should call or text 845-527-6230 to reserve a spot by noon on Sept. 22.

The 30-Day Step Challenge is another program being offered jointly by VOW and the library. From Sept. 24 through Oct. 23, log your daily steps on the forms available at the library or Town Clerk’s office and submit your log sheets by 5 p.m. Oct. 25 to either the library or to jcraner1999@gmail.com. Prizes will be awarded to the top three people who recorded the highest number of steps. Entry forms (also available at the library and Town Hall) should be submitted to jcraner1999@gmail.com. Good luck!

The library’s Fiction Club will meet again Wednesday, August 23 at 6:30 p.m., to discuss Chris Bohjalian’s The Lioness.

The book’s plot, according to the summary on Amazon, is as follows:

Tanzania, 1964. When Katie Barstow, A-list actress, and her new husband, David Hill, decide to bring their Hollywood friends to the Serengeti for their honeymoon, they envision giraffes gently eating leaves from the tall acacia trees, great swarms of wildebeests crossing the Mara River, and herds of zebras storming the sandy plains. Their glamorous guests—including Katie’s best friend, Carmen Tedesco, and Terrance Dutton, the celebrated Black actor who stars alongside Katie in the highly controversial film Tender Madness—will spend their days taking photos, and their evenings drinking chilled gin and tonics back at camp, as the local Tanzanian guides warm water for their baths. The wealthy Americans expect civilized adventure: fresh ice from the kerosene-powered ice maker, dinners of cooked gazelle meat, and plenty of stories to tell over lunch back on Rodeo Drive.

What Katie and her glittering entourage do not expect is this: a kidnapping gone wrong, their guides bleeding out in the dirt, and a team of Russian mercenaries herding their hostages into Land Rovers, guns to their heads. As the powerful sun gives way to night, the gunmen shove them into abandoned huts and Katie Barstow, Hollywood royalty, prays for a simple thing: to see the sun rise one more time. A blistering story of fame, race, love, and death set in a world on the cusp of great change, The Lioness is a vibrant masterpiece from one of our finest storytellers.

We had a large group with a few newbies, creating little gnome characters with a special needle and wool roving. Look for more fun felting workshops this fall!

BIG Bingo was hit and with the 90 degree temps outside, inside calling cards was the way to go! BINGO! 

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) 2023 mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required.

Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!

Coloring pages are no longer just for children! Join us for this creative and relaxing hobby. Just drop in, registration not required. Bring your own materials or use ours.

Coloring Club meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:00-8:00 PM. No registration is required.

Grab a project and come enjoy the craft of your choice, whether it's knitting, crocheting, diamond painting, coloring, embroidery, or cross stitch!

Adult Crafting meets on Thursday afternoons between 2:00-5:00 PM. No registration is required.

Though the programming portion of our summer reading program is over, there is still time to join our summer reading challenge, which runs until August 27th! Grab physical copies at the library or print copies directly from our website. All participants receive a prize and the more you read, the more chances you have to win our grand prize - four tickets to LegoLand!

Check out these new titles for some cool summer reads!

Dragon Masters #24: Dawn of the Light Dragon

• Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
• Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
• Curbside delivery of pre-ordered items is available by request. Call the circulation desk at 845-895-3707 to make a pick-up appointment.
• Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
• Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
• Online programming, with materials necessary for crafts available for pickup at the library.
• In-person programming, with appropriate social distancing.
• Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for Boscobel House and Gardens, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Empire Pass, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Hudson River Maritime Museum, Mohonk Preserve, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
• We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.