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BIXBY BULLETIN NEWSLETTER
July 2023
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Congratulations! The Event Committee and this community came through with flying colors yet again to make this year’s Bixby Summer Fundraiser a huge success in so many ways. First, talented artists donated hours of creative energy to transform the first floor for the festivities and for all to enjoy throughout the summer. If you haven’t seen the hot air balloons, murmurations of colored birds, puffy clouds, and leafy columns, you must stop by to marvel. Individuals and local businesses pledged generous sponsorships and donated fabulous auction and raffle prizes to bring the “Flights of Fancy” theme to life in style. And a very fun time was had by the nearly 200 attendees who supported the Bixby by purchasing tickets and pledging the winning bids to raise funds for us to do even more for the community in the year ahead.
Next up: We’re partnering up with Scott Gaines at the Vergennes Rotary for another summer of kids logging time spent with a good book for weekly prizes from Cookie Love, Goodies, lu.lu, and Olsen’s, and brand new bikes for three lucky winners. Adults can join in, too, with Bixby Summer Reading Bingo to win gift cards from our friends at The Flying Pig bookstore in Shelburne.
May your summer be filled with reading and relaxation,
Catharine
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What's New at the Library? |
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Welcome to Library Summer Intern, Liefe Temple |
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We are pleased to announce that Liefe Temple joined the Bixby in June 2023 as a library summer intern. Liefe absolutely loves libraries, and she wants to spend the rest of her life in one, so she is excited to be spending the summer learning about the day-to-day functions and services of a public library.
Liefe grew up in Lincolnville, a tiny town on the coast of Maine. In high school, she volunteered at her local library and took a handful of online Information and Library Science classes through the University of Maine in Augusta. Currently, Liefe is a junior Feb at Middlebury College, working towards a joint major in English and Dance. She also works in the College's Archives and Special Collections. In her free time, Liefe likes to sew, knit, dance, and read.
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Welcome Summer Project Archivist, Anna Hurd |
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Anna Hurd is a second-year Master's student in the School of Literary and Information Science at Simmons University, pursuing a concentration in archives management. She spent the fall of 2022 attending classes in Boston and interning at the Massachusetts General Hospital Archives. After switching to online courses the following semester, Anna moved to Vergennes and found a wonderful application for her studies volunteering in the Bixby's historical collections, especially its archival papers, which are currently being organized by the talented historical collections volunteer team.
In June 2023, Anna began a summer project to increase awareness of and access to the library's archives through the generosity of the Champlain National Heritage Partnership. Over the next several months, Anna will be processing a few of the archives' high-priority collections, including the Samuel Strong Papers (c. 1790-1815), both to increase public access to these materials and to determine how archival standards can best be implemented and maintained in the Bixby's archives. In addition, Anna will be working with the history team and library staff to introduce these unique historical materials and their stories to the public, so keep an eye out for news from the archives in our newsletter and on social media!
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Beat the Heat, Cool Off at the Library |
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During the warm summer months, the Bixby Library serves as a cooling center within our five-town community. Visitors to the library can cool down in the Vermont Room on the first floor while also enjoying the Vermont and Large Print collections or in Bixby Hall on the second floor. Both rooms are equipped with air purifiers and have free wifi access. |
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Kids, Books, & Free Lunch this Summer |
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Thanks to a partnership with the Addison Northwest School District, the Bixby will be providing free lunches to children ages 18 and under during our Thursday storytimes at 10:30 am. No registration is required. This program will run through August 10, 2023. |
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The Bixby Seeks a New Library Trustee |
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The Bixby Board of Trustees is currently seeking one new Trustee to join the Board. Being a trustee is a great volunteer opportunity for people who care about the Bixby to provide fiscal and strategic leadership to the library as part of our 11-person Board of Trustees. We are happy to consider anyone interested and can make a 3-year commitment to serve as a Trustee. We are especially interested in hearing from you if:
- You identify as a member of a historically marginalized population
- You have some interest or expertise in building preservation, construction, architecture, or historic preservation
- You reside in Addison, Ferrisburgh, Panton, or Waltham
To learn more about this opportunity, email Board President Erin Roche at erin.roche@bixbylibrary.org and visit the “About” section at www.bixbylibrary.org.
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Celebrate Kathy Brooks' 75th Birthday |
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The family of Kathy (Wrona) Brooks invites you to celebrate her 75th birthday with a donation to the Bixby Library.
Born in Salamanca, New York, in 1948 and raised in Whittier, California, Kathy moved to Vermont in 1974 with Stephen, her husband of 50 years. Not long after, Kathy began providing child care to families in the Vergennes area. Over the ensuing decades, dozens of children learned and thrived in Kathy’s ‘Busy Bee Daycare’, where storytimes were a highlight of every day. The Bixby Memorial Free Library played a significant role in this, as Kathy regularly visited the Children’s Room for inspiration (and new books!) with her three children, Josh, Jeremy, and Marijean.
By donating to the Bixby, you honor Kathy for her dedication to helping young children learn and grow and for passing on her love of reading to future generations. Learn how to make a donation to the Bixby Library here. |
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Vermont Pastel Society Art Exhibit Ongoing at the Bixby |
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The Vermont Pastel Society Mid-State Hub invites the community at large to view up to 30 soft pastel paintings created by a talented group of Hub members. Paintings include landscapes, still life, portraits, florals, and abstracts. This exhibit is on display in the Bixby Library's Community Room. All paintings are for sale, with 40% of the price benefiting the library. |
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The Adult Summer Reading program is in full swing! From now until August 31, people ages 16 and older can participate in the Summer Reading BINGO Challenge for a chance to win a Bixby tote bag and a Flying Pig Bookstore gift card.
Looking for some fun activities this summer? Check out some items from the Library of Things! We have a birding kit, STEM robotics kits, a Cricut cutting machine, a telescope, a pasta machine, a cake decorating kit, a sewing machine, board games, and so much more. |
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We started July by "Taking it Apart" with an engineer and learned how to safely see what was inside keyboards, desktop computers, all-in-one computers, and tablets. Weekly storytime is back at the Bixby for the summer on Thursday mornings. On Saturday, July 15th, 802Reptiles will be coming to the Bixby, so stop in to meet and even hold some exotic reptiles, then join us for a movie matinee after.
The end of July brings the Vermont Garden Network's Veducation van to the Bixby on July 27th, where kids can learn about veggies and nutrition in a fun setting and even cook up some delicious recipes to try. I've seen some Booked for Bikes trackers at the library filling up with colorful beads; remember to bring in your entry forms regularly to qualify for the weekly ice cream raffle prizes!
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It's movie time at the Bixby! This summer, we'll be showing two outdoor movies: A Man Called Otto on Friday, July 21st, and Shazam! on Friday, August 18th. Movies will start around 8:30 pm or sundown and will be outside in the back parking lot, so please bring chairs and snacks.
We'll also continue with our family matinees up in Bixby Hall, with The Mitchells vs the Machines on Saturday, July 15th at 12:30 pm and Strange World on Saturday, August 12th at 12:30 pm. Come join us and enjoy some popcorn!
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The Eden Test by Adam Sternbergh
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When Daisy and Craig sign up for a weeklong couples cabin retreat called The Eden Test, we'll find out just how far they are willing to go to save their marriage. If you're looking for a twisty-turny good time, check out this thriller! |
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Wildoak by C.C. Harrington
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Maggie Stephens's stutter makes school especially hard. She will do almost anything to avoid speaking in class or calling attention to herself. So when her unsympathetic father threatens to send her away for so-called "treatment," she reluctantly agrees to her mother's intervention plan: a few weeks in the fresh air of Wildoak Forest, visiting a grandfather she hardly knows. It is there, in an extraordinary twist of fate, that she encounters an abandoned snow leopard cub, an exotic gift to a wealthy Londoner that proved too wild to domesticate. But once the cub's presence is discovered by others, danger follows, and Maggie soon realizes that time is running out, not only for the leopard, but for herself and the forest as well.
Wildoak is a 2023-2024 Vermont Golden Dome nominee.
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The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
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The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. |
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This architectural sketch of the MacDonough Monument was kindly donated to the Bixby's historical collections by our friends at the Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow, Vermont. Commodore Thomas MacDonough (1783-1825) achieved fame in Vermont during the War of 1812, during which the United States Navy tasked him to build and command a fleet of warships to match that of the British forces threatening Lake Champlain. In early 1814, shipwrights under MacDonough's direction built, converted, and refurbished the fleet at the shipyard below Vergennes Falls, most notably completing the 26-gun flagship Saratoga in a record 40 days. The following September, the fleet was instrumental in defeating the British at the Battle of Plattsburgh and securing Lake Champlain.
This monument, designed by architects Dillon, McLellan, and Beadel of New York City, was unveiled in Vergennes City Park at the 1914 centennial celebration of the building and launching of MacDonough's fleet. The celebration lasted three days and included numerous speakers, parades, musical performances, a banquet, and a carnival. The sketch consists of views of the monument from multiple angles, detailed pencil shading of its decorative motifs, and a simple map of its location in the park. The sketch is undated but presumed to date from before 1913 and will join other records relating to MacDonough's efforts and legacy in the Bixby's archival collections.
To view this and more records of our communities' history in person, please call the library at (802) 877-2211 or e-mail us to make a research appointment.
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Friends of the Bixby Used Book Sale
Saturday, July 8, 9 am-1 pm
The Friends of the Bixby will be hosting their used book sale in the library’s basement Otter Creek Room (accessible by the library's back parking lot). All books are priced accordingly. We offer gently used fiction, non-fiction, children’s, YA, gardening, sci-fi/fantasy, Vermont books, and more!
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Vergennes Bike Day
Grand Opening of Green Mountain Foster Bikes at Little City Cycles
Saturday, July 8, 8:30 am-4 pm
As a HUGE thank you to the community for the great amount of help given in opening the bicycle center, Little City Cycles is hosting a community ride and open house!
Learn more about the event here. |
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Green Energy Fest
Saturday, July 15, 10 am-3 pm
Vergennes City Park
Free event featuring energy-saving ideas and solutions from vendors, organizations, utility reps and guest speakers. Raffles and refreshments too. More info at vergennesenergy@gmail.com.
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Library Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday: 10 am-7 pm
Friday-Saturday: 10 am-3 pm
(802) 877-2211
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