Spring 2023 (March, April, May)
On-going Mini Book Sale – (downstairs during open hours) Books of all interests, proceeds will be used to buy new books for the collection.
Book Donation change – The nature of book sales has changed in the past few years and now most of our donations must be disposed of which is costly in terms of time and money. We welcome donations of new books (within the last two years) that we can add to our collection or put in our ongoing book sale.
Crokinole Game Nights Thursday, March 16, April 6, May 11 from 5:30 – 7 p.m.. This is a fabulous board game for all ages; intriguingly simple and endlessly satisfying! Beginners and players of all ages are welcome. Players take turns flicking their discs across the circular playing surface, trying to land their discs in the higher-scoring regions of the board, while also attempting to knock opposing discs off the board, and into the ‘ditch’. Come give it a try!
Learn to Paint Night – Monday, March 20, 6:30-8 p.m. Sign up for a night of fun learning how to paint with Westy Copeland. All materials provided. Limited to 12 participants. Sign up at orfordsoclib@gmail.com.
Pollinators: How and Why to Garden with Nature with Alicia Houk. April 20 at 6:30 p.m. Native plants: more beauty, more fun, more life! Come learn about gardening with our fascinating native plants to support pollinators and the local food web.
Plant Exchange, Thursday, May 25 from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Annual exchange of plants and seedlings. Bring your cuttings, divisions or starts and take home something new. All welcome, whether you have plants or not.
Becoming an Animal Adventurer, June 3 at 11 a.m. Join Susie Spikol, naturalist and author of The Animal Adventurer’s Guide, to learn how to be an animal adventurer! For kids of all ages.
March: High Mowing Seed Giveaway. Pick up 5 packets of seeds.
April – Poem on a Postcard – pick up some beautiful postcards with artwork by Marge Green. Send a poem to a friend for Poetry Month.
Mah Jongg – Mondays from 1 – 3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
German Conversation – Mondays from 4 – 5 p.m.
Knitting/crafters – Second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 2 – 3:30 p.m. All crafters welcome!
Bridge Games – Thursdays from 3 – 5 p.m. All welcome to play
French Conversation – Thursdays, 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. Informal French group, contact Gail Keefer: gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
Tech Help -Second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Bring your tech
questions and gadgets.
Storytime – Second Saturday of the month, 10 – 11 a.m. Join Brynne MacMurtry and other hosts for storytime.
Book Discussions: pick up a copy at the library and join the discussion on the 4th Monday of the month at 7 p.m.
April 24, Face the Mountain, Daniel James Brown
May 22, The Paper Palace, Miranda Cowley Heller
Winter 2022
Holiday Open House – Thursday, December 8 from 4 – 6 p.m.
Stop in for some holiday cheer at our annual holiday open house. Enjoy treats and make some natural ornaments for your tree or ours.
Fall 2022
Volunteer Appreciation Thursday, October 13 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Help celebrate and thank the volunteers that support the library:
Orford Open Air Market – Saturday, October 15 11 a.m. Come and enjoy the last market day with a costume parade, a fall craft project with the Orford Social Library, food trucks and more!
German Conversation – Mondays, 4-5 p.m. Alle sind willkommen. All levels, beginners, native speakers and folks who just want to listen are welcome. Contact Tom at 603-359-2484 with questions.
To the Arctic and Back
Thursday, October 27 @ 7 p.m.
Learn about fieldwork investigating wildlife and climate change from Alaska to the Gulf of Maine. Jess Steketee is a doctoral student at UNH studying arctic vole and lemming populations in Alaska. Jess also worked as a wildlife field technician on a variety of projects, including studying Puffins and Terns at Audubon’s Seabird Restoration Project in the Gulf of Maine. Her partner Earl Johnson is an avid birder and photographer who also worked with Project Puffin and now helps to collect data on her research in the Arctic.
Halloween Night – October 31, 5-7 p.m. Join the Witches of Orford for some treats and fun!
Bridge Players– Thursdays 3-5 pm. New weekly group starting.
French Conversation – Thursdays @ 4:15 p.m. Contact Gail Keefer
gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
Mah Jongg – Mondays from 1 – 3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
Knitting/crafters – Second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 2 – 3:30 p.m. All crafters welcome! September 14 & 28, October 12 & 26, November 9 & 23.
Tech Help -Second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Bring your tech
questions and gadgets on September 10, October 8, November 12.
Storytime – Second Saturday of the month @ 10 a.m. September 10, October 8, November 12
Book Discussions: pick up a copy at the library and join the discussion.
September 26 @ 7 p.m. “The Witch Elm” by Tana French
October 24 @ 7 p.m. “Interior Chinatown” by Charles Yu
November 28 @ 7 p.m.”Varina” by Charles Frazier
Labor Day Hike – Monday, September 5, 10 a.m. at Echo Mountain in Fairlee, VT
Step into fall with a 1.4 mile hike with views overlooking Lake Morey from Eagle’s Bluff. Moderate hike that is great for families. We will complete a Valley Quest along the way. Meet in the parking lot by the tennis court at Lake Morey Resort where we will caravan to the trail head. Bring a bagged lunch. If there is time we will also take a short hike to beautiful Glen Falls nearby. No dogs please. For more information contact Brynne MacMurtry (503) 502-6303 macmurtb@gmail.com
Crokinole Game Night – Thursday, September 29, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. What is Crokinole? A disk-flicking dexterity boar
Summer 2022
Annual Ice Cream Social – Thursday August 11 from 5-7 p.m. Enjoy ice cream sundaes with all the fixings with neighbors and friends!
June 26 Squam Lakes Science Center Program 3:00 p.m. Outdoor presentation of live aquatic animals at the Orford Playground Pavilion near the Connecticut River Boat Landing.
August 3 UNH Sea Grant: Whales and Seals Program 11:00 A.M. Explore whales and seals through hands-on activities with marine docents from UNH at the Orford Playground Pavilion near the Connecticut Boat Landing.
Art Show – Stop by the library to see local artists’ artwork inspired by our summer reading program “Oceans of Possibilities”.
Orford Flea Market – Saturday, August 6. Purchase raffle tickets to win a homemade quilt and other goodies. Proceeds benefit the Orford Social Library. Our table is near the food tent.
French Conversation – Thursdays @ 4:15 p.m. Contact Gail Keefer
gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
Mah Jongg – Mondays from 1 – 3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
Knitting/crafters – Second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 2 – 3:30 p.m. All crafters welcome! June 8 & 22, July 13 & 22, August 10 & 24.
Tech Help -Second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Bring your tech
questions and gadgets on June 11, July 9, August 13.
Book Discussions: pick up a copy at the library and join the discussion!
June 27 @ 7 p.m. “To the Bright Edge of the World” by Eowyn Ivey
July 25 @ 7 p.m. “The Dutch House” by Ann Patchett
August 22 @ 7 p.m.”Circe” by Madeline Miller
Summer Reading Program held at Orford Social Library
June 22: Mountain to the River 10:00 a.m. Find out about our local watershed from Mt. Cube to the Connecticut River. Special guest, Jean Gerber, will share her adventure of paddling more than 200 miles down the Connecticut River. Participants will start a group mural.
July 6: River to the Sea 10:00 a.m. Learn more about the watershed from the mountains to the sea through literary adventures. Complete the watershed mural with natural and found objects.
July 13: Sailing the Oceans Blue 10:00 a.m. Hear about the adventures sailing the ocean with young children, from a guest sailor, Gail Keefer. Make sailor hats and boats.
Spring 2022
NH Humanities VIrtual Program Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. via Zoom
Jennie Powers: The Woman Who Dares
Jennie Powers took a stand against social vices in New Hampshire and Vermont in the early twentieth century. She was a humane society agent in Keene from 1903-1936 and one of the first humane society agents to become a deputy sheriff in New Hampshire. Jennie was known across the country as “The Woman Who Dares” cited by the Boston Post newspaper in 1906 as having arrested more men than any other woman in America. As a photographic activist, she used her camera to document animal cruelty, family violence, and wide-spread poverty in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region and beyond. This one-hour illustrated presentation from Jenna Carroll introduces us to Jennie’s life story, the work of humane societies at the turn of the twentieth century, and the politics of the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s) from a local perspective.
Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild and Other Stories facilitated by Joshua Tepley. NH Humanities Perspectives Virtual Book Group Monday, April 18 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Free books for each participant. Bloodchild and Other Stories is the only collection of science fiction stories and essays written by American writer Octavia E. Butler. Each story and essay features an afterword by Butler. “Bloodchild”, the title story, won the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.
Poem on a Postcard – April is poetry month. PIck up some postcards featuring a local student artist to send to friends and family. Thanks to Bonnie McCouch for sponsoring this program.
High Mowing Seeds give away – Stop by the library in March to pick up some seeds and a take and make packet to make degradable pots to start them in.
Plant Exchange! We are planning our annual plant exchange for early June. If you divide your perennials, house plants or if you start extra seeds, pot some of them up for this annual event.
French Conversation -* Thursdays @ 4 p.m. Contact Gail Keefer
gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
Mah Jongg – *Mondays from 1 – 3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
Knitting/crafters – *Second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 2 pm – 3:30 p.m. All crafters welcome! March 9 & 23, April 13 & 27, May 11 & 25
Tech Help -* Second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Bring your tech
questions and gadgets on March 12, April 9 and May 14.
Story and Art:
March 12 @ 11 a.m. Is Spring Really Here? The Sun and Moon Tell Us So!
Stories about what cultures around the world do to celebrate Spring. Create a Spring diorama.
April 9 at 11 a.m. Unicorns: The Mythological Creatures. Since national Unicorn Day is April 9, we will
enjoy myths with unicorns and make our own unicorn horn!
May 14 @ 11 a.m. Getting Your Hands into the Soil
Stories about planting seeds and watching your garden grow.
Book Discussions: pick up a copy at the library and join the discussion!
“Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz, March 28 @ 7 p.m.
“Exiles” by Christina Baker Kline, May 23 @ 7 p.m.
Winter 2021
*December Take and Make*: Reusable/Upcycled gift bags! Learn how to make
reusable gift bags made out of cloth. Pick up your supplies at the library. Click here for directions:
reusable gift bags made out of cloth. Pick up your supplies at the library. Click here for directions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VJNwahgv66DLO-4LMtgvgrWEiilx7KZV/edit
*”The Women With the Silver Wings”by Katherine Sharp Landdeck. **Monday,
February 28 at 7 p.m. (Virtual) sponsored by **NH Humanities Perspectives
Book Discussions*
The inspiring true story of the daring female Air Force Service Pilots who
helped win WWII.
All participants will receive a free copy of the book. Discussion led by
Carrie Brown who holds a Ph.D. in American Literature and Folklore from the
University of Virginia. She is an independent scholar who also works as a
freelance history curator for museums in New England. Contact the library
to register.
*Oil, Ice, and Bone: Arctic Whaler Nathaniel Ransom – Thursday, January 20
@ 7 p.m. (Virtual) sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities*
In January 2016, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association
announced the discovery of the wreckage of two sunken whale ships off the
Alaskan coast. Oil, Ice, and Bone tells the story of these vessels and how
they came to be lost in the greatest whaling disaster in American history.
In 1871 Arctic whaler Nathaniel Ransom survived the loss of thirty-two
whaling vessels in the frigid waters off Alaska’s Icy Cape. He kept a
journal – and held onto it as he and his shipmates jettisoned weapons and
warm clothing to save their very lives. His eyewitness account of whaling’s
brutal slaughter and sudden losses is enriched by presenter Helen Frink’s
affection for an ancestor she discovered through his journals a century
after his death.
Helen Hiller Frink holds a BA in English from the University of New
Hampshire and masters and doctoral degrees in German from the University of
Chicago. She is descended from two families of Yankee whalers and lives too
far from the sea in Acworth, New Hampshire. Contact the library to register.
*French Conversation -* Thursdays @ 4 p.m. Contact Gail Keefer
gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
*Mah Jongg – *Mondays from 1 – 3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
*Knitting/crafters – *Second Wednesday of the month, 2 pm – 3:30 p.m. All
crafters welcome! January 12, February 9.
*Tech Help -* Second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Bring your tech
questions and gadgets! December 11, January 8, February 12.
*Story and Art – *Second Saturday of the month *note time change starting
in January
*December 11 at 10 a.m. via Facebook Live.Warm and Cozy As winter approaches, little critters find their way into our homes. Let’s find out about mice in some delightful stories, and other stories about the coldest season. Items needed for one art project include dried milkweed pods, red felt, and red pom poms or ribbon. There will be “Take and Make Mouse” packets available at the library and they will include some surprises!
*January 8 at 11 a.m. Winter Wonderland *(**NEW TIME** for the New Year!)
Learn all about the beauty of winter. Create a Winter Wonderland picture
with paint, glittery glue, and sparkly paper.
*February 12 at 11 a.m. Winter Fun!*
What do you do in winter? Let’s have some outdoor fun in the snow!
Too cold? We will bring that snow indoors!
What do you do in winter? Let’s have some outdoor fun in the snow!
Too cold? We will bring that snow indoors!
Past Events:
(Not So) Elementary, My Dear Watson: The Popularity of Sherlock Holmes
Thursday, September 30 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom (email orfordsoclib@gmail.com for link)
Presenter: Ann McClellan, sponsored by New Hampshire Humanities to Go
The recent spate of Sherlock Holmes movies, television shows, and literary adaptations indicate the Great Detective is alive and well in the 21st century. Holmes is the most portrayed literary character of all time. Why is Sherlock Holmes so popular? Ann McClellan’s presentation explores the origins of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective and tracks his incarnations in literature, film, advertising, and modern media in order to crack the case of the most popular detective.
NH Humanities Book Discussion: “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith
Thursday, October 28 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom.
Facilitated by Ann McClellan, Plymouth State University
All participants will receive a free book. Contact the library for your copy.
Halloween: Witches of Orford, Sunday, Oct 31, 5:30 – 7 p.m. Enjoy some treats, the candy launcher & fire pit.
Mah Jongg, Mondays, 1-3 p.m. All are welcome to play.
French Conversation, contact Gail Keefer for dates and times: gkeefer@rivendellschool.org
Knitting/Crafters – Wednesday, September 8, 2-3:30 p.m. Everyone is invited, bring your knitting, group will decide future days/dates to meet.
Monthly Fiction Book Group
Monday, September 27, “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn
Monday, November 22, “A Piece of the World” by Chrisina Baker Kline
Children’s Story and Art, second Saturday of the month, 10 -11 a.m.
September 11
October 9
November 13
Tech Help, second Saturday of the month, 9:30 – 11 a.m.
September 11
October 9
November 13
NH Humanities Book Discussion, June 24 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom. Exhalation by Ted Chiang. Program facilitated by Joshua Tepley, Saint Anselm College. Free books for each participant, funding from New Hampshire Humanities.
Plant Exchange! Thursday, June 3 from 4-6 p.m. Share some of your plants, veggie or flower starts, and pick up some new ones! All are welcome, (whether you have plants or not).
Pie and Posey Sale! May 29 9:30 until sold out. The Friends of the Orford Libraries pie sale will include flower bouquets this year. Come out and support this fundraiser for the Orford Social and Free Libraries.
Book Discussion, May 24 @ 7 p.m. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle
NH Humanities Book Discussion on May 6 @ 6:30 p.m.
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
New Hampshire Humanities is piloting a new project offering facilitators for virtual book groups. Books are free to each participant. Contact the library for a book and to register.
New Hampshire Humanities Program: April 19 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom
“Forced Into Politics: Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the Fugitive Slave Crisis”
Contact the library to register and get the Zoom link.
Gardening! Monday, April 12 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom Sarah and Craig Putnam of Echo Hill Farm in Orford will host an open forum to discuss seed starting, what to plant soon, soil preparation for gardens old and new and more. Come with your questions. Contact orfordsoclib@gmail.com for more information and to register.
Free Seeds! High Mowing donated seeds which will be available to all at the library during open hours.
Monday and Thursday 1-8 p.m. & Wednesday and Saturday 9-1 p.m.
Take and Make: Beeswax Wrappers. Make reusable food wrappers. They are eco-friendly as a good alternative to plastice wrap.
Poem on a Postcard to Celebrate National Poetry Month During the month of April, special postcards with original artwork are available for you to send a poem to a friend or family member. The library will also supply the stamps. Thanks to Rivendell Academy’s Melissa Lopez Labastita for the beautiful artwork and to Bonnie McCouch for generously underwriting this special event. Contact the library to pick up your postcards.
“The Borders of Our Minds” with David Mould on Monday, March 29 2 7 p.m. via Zoom
Join historian and journalist David Mould while he explores the meaning borders, both real and imagined, in discussing his latest book on travel, history and culture.
The Soul of America: A Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham Book Discussion, Monday, March 15 @ 7 p.m. via Zoom Mah Jongg – every Monday from 1 – 3 p.m.
Tech Help Second Saturday of the month @ 9:30-11 a.m.
Story & Art Time – 10 a.m. second Saturday of the month from September – June . Summer reading program July & August.
French Conversation
Informal group, meeting outdoors with social distancing. Contact Gail Keefer for details: gkeffer@rivendellschool.org
Book Discussions
Fourth Monday of the month @ 7 p.m. Contact library for latest selection.