Memorial Day

The Bancroft Memorial Library will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day.

AAA Safety Series for Families

Join us for a safety checkup in May with three educational programs presented by AAA Northeast. 

The first is Under the Hood/Car Care 101 with John Paul, AAA’s Car Doctor, on Monday, May 3, at 6pm. Learn about basic car maintenance you can do yourself and get some safety tips as well.

The second program is Bike and Pedestrian Safety on Wednesday, May 12, at 6pm. This program provides tips and information for the whole family to stay safe walking and biking around town.

The final program in the series is called Distracted Driving on Wednesday, May 19, at 6 pm. This program is designed to help all drivers understand the risks of distractions and get tips to avoid becoming a distracted driver.

Pre-registration is required for all programs. Zoom links will be sent the afternoon of the program. Registration closes at 5pm the day of the program.

May is Mental Health Month

Join us this month for conversations about mental health issues and try meditation for relaxation and health in honor of Mental Health Month. We will have professionals presenting Zoom informational lectures from Crossroads Clubhouse, a Service of Riverside Community Care in Hopedale, and Community Impact, Inc. in Milford. Check our website for more information and to register.

Meditation Made Easy

In this sample class, we will explore a variety of techniques, including working with the breath, body sensations, thoughts and emotions. By learning to apply a strategy, we can quiet and focus the mind in order to bring relaxation, improved health and increased creativity and joy into our lives. Practices may include sound meditation, mantras and metta for loving kindness. Class will begin with seated gentle stretches which help to prepare the body to sit comfortably and peacefully. After a short practice, there will be time for Q and A. Led by local instructor Debra McGonnell on May 4, at 6 pm.

Identifying Addiction and Seeking Treatment

Join us on Zoom on Thursday, May 11, at 6 pm for an informative discussion about addiction, its signs and its treatment. Local addiction counselor, Amy Leone, will share information about addiction as well as information on preventing addiction and seeking treatment. 

Also, check our website for programming later in the month from Crossroads/Riverside Community Care and a Yoga for Anxiety Program from Community Impact, Inc.

Virtual Programming

Looking for more virtual programming? Check out programming for the entire state on the new calendar tool on the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners website at https://libraries.state.ma.us/calendar/. Make sure to register with the hosting library in advance.

Tween/Teen Take and Make Craft 

May is for flowers and .... Mothers! Please let us help you make May 9, more special for Mom. Moms love homemade gifts! How about making a Best Mom Ever wall hanging for that special Mom or Mom substitute in your life? The kit will contain a 5x7 frame, flowers, ribbon, card stock and lettering along with instructions. All you will need is washable markers, a 1-gallon ziplock bag, a spray bottle with water and hot glue. Please email [email protected] to reserve a Best Mom Ever kit. Kits will be available on April 28.

Ongoing Monthly Library Events

Hopedale Zoom Book Group

The Bancroft Memorial Library Book Discussion Group meets monthly on the first Wednesday of the month. We are currently holding the book discussions on Zoom. Everyone is welcome to join the Zoom book discussion by computer, iPad, cell phone or landline. Just leave your email contact information at the Circulation Desk and we will add your name to our Zoom invitation list. You will receive a Zoom invitation on the day before the meeting. The library staff will be happy to place a hold on the title for you if needed.

Travel with us to the Appalachian mountains of Kentucky in the 1930s as we discuss The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes on Wednesday, May 5, at 1 p.m. The novel, set in Depression-era America, is a breathtaking story of five extraordinary women and their remarkable journey through the mountains of Kentucky. They will become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them - and to the men they love -becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion.

In June, the Group will read Louise Erdrich’s The Night Watchman. Erdrich’s grandfather Patrick Gourneau was part of the first generation born on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. As the chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in the mid-1950s, he had to use all the political savvy he could muster to dissuade Utah Sen. Arthur V. Watkins from reneging on long-held treaties between Native Americans and the federal government. Erdrich’s grandfather is the inspiration for her novel’s protagonist, Thomas Wazhushk, the night watchman of the title. In The Night Watchman, Louise Erdrich weaves together a story of past and future generations, of preservation and progress. She grapples with the worst and best impulses of human nature, illuminating the loves and lives, desires and ambitions of her characters with compassion, wit and intelligence.

Friends of the Hopedale Library

Looking for something to read? The Friends of the Hopedale Library is offering a $5 Bag Book Sale. Choose from large print, mysteries, nonfiction, trades, YA, juniors, chapter books, first readers, picture books, or a mix! Just email the Friends at [email protected] with your request. Orders will be ready once a week for pickup in the Library vestibule. You will be contacted when your bag is ready. All donated books have been quarantined before being put on display.

News from the Marjorie Hattersley Children’s Room

Summer Reading 2021 – Tails and Tales!

Be on the lookout for information about our Summer Reading Program for 2021! The theme is Tails and Tales and we have lots of fun activities planned. Registration for the reading program and activities will begin the week of June 21.

Star Wars Day Take and Make Craft

May the Fourth be with you! Come in on May 4, and pick up a Star Wars -themed craft to celebrate!

For updates throughout the month, Friend us on Facebook, sign up at https://www.hopedale-ma.gov/subscribe to receive library news via email, and be sure to add the Mobile App to your phone for up-to-date reminders. The library webpage is  https://www.hopedale-ma.gov/bancroft-memorial-library .