News

by Kim Brawn

“Over time, people regret what they didn’t do more than what they did do,” writes Daniel Pink
in his bestseller The Power of Regret. Don’t let those missed opportunities gnaw at you, instead
take advantage of what’s possible in the present and use those past regrets to prevent future
ones. This May and beyond, the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is bursting with things
to do, people to see, and new chances to act and connect.

If you have found yourself saying I wish I had gone to see the giant trolls, taken my kids to a
cool museum, or lounged on a state park beach, then welcome to Pass Season at TFL. We have
three great ones available. The State Park Pass admits a vehicle and all occupants for free.
Checkouts are for three days that we are open. (i.e., if you check it out on Thursday, you will
have it until the next Tuesday.) Some parks, including Baxter, are excluded.

Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor is an exciting place the kids will love featuring floors of
hands-on interactive exhibits. This pass is for one specific day and includes four free admissions
($10 for each additional admission).

New this year, we have a pass for Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens located in Boothbay Harbor.
The gardens have so many incredible highlights like the native butterfly and moth house and of
course the giant trolls a.k.a. Guardians of the Seeds—Danish Artist Thomas Dambo’s magical,
mysterious, and mammoth recycled-wood troll sculptures. You can reserve a date and we will
print tickets for that day which will admit two adults and as many children as there are in your
group. (These passes are available to TFL patrons.)

Our Pre-Mother’s Day Book Sale (May 10-13) is the perfect place to find gifts for Mom.
Everything is ten cents: fiction, non-fiction, kids’ book, and DVDs. Show your love without
breaking the bank. (Where: downstairs/When: Weds 12-5, Thurs 9-6, Fri 9-5, & Sat 9-12:30.
Proceeds go to children’s programming. Book donations welcome.)

If you regret not spending more time out in nature, you’ll find inspiration at “Pollinators in Your
Yard 101” on Thursday, May 11 at 1:30 with local honey beekeeper Lynn Lubas. Learn what
pollinators are, why they are important, and find out the best ways to make your property
more pollinator-friendly. Lynn will cover honey bees, native bees, native plants, and more.
You’ll take home many informative handouts and resource lists. Bring your questions!

The Penquis Community Based Program is hosting “Community Coffee & Refreshments” at TFL
on Thursday, May 18 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. It’s an opportunity for the staff and program
participants to get together with the community, share coffee and snacks, and chat.

May means music! Folksinger Bill Berlinghoff visits us again at 6 p.m. on May 18. He plays guitar
and banjo and sings a wide range of songs including traditional Tennessee mountain music, 60s
folk classics, rowdy pub singalongs, and whimsical originals.

Flex your Maine trivia muscles and expand your quirky knowledge of the Pine Tree State with
Tim Caverly’s “So You Think You Know Maine” on Thursday, May 25 at 6 p.m. Discover the
birthplace of Disney’s Bambi, northern forest ice caves, abandoned railroads, and petrographs.
Tim, who is the author of Allagash Tails has worked with both the Maine Forest Service and
Department of Conservation, is eager to share what he calls, “. . . tales that can only be
described as Classic Maine.”

We’re on the fast track to summer and many places are hiring, whether you need help with
online applications, revamping your resume, or getting tips for those tricky interview questions,
the folks from the Career Center can assist you. Stop by Friday May 26 from 12-2 to get your
questions answered. (They will visit TFL the 4 th Friday of each month.)

Looking ahead to Thursday, June 1 at 6 p.m. Maine author Ron Joseph stops by to talk about his
new book Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs, and Hermit Bill: Memoirs of a Wildlife Biologist. Ron shares
his stories of growing up in rural Maine, working as a wildlife biologist, and meeting Mainers
like retired dairy farmers Ruth and Martin French of Dover-Foxcroft, who repurposed their
barn’s empty cow stalls into a wildlife rehabilitation center.

Writer Daniel Pink says that regrets of inaction are far more common than regrets of action.
Translation: you are going to have a very busy May and beyond with the Thompson Free
Library. In between trips to botanical gardens and state parks and museum visits, you can listen
to fascinating talks, get to know your neighbors, learn new ideas and practical tips, buy books
for Mom she didn’t know she needed, and browse the best selection of new releases around!
Now’s the time to get acquainted—or reacquainted—with your local library and become a
patron or update your membership. You won’t regret it.

TFL hours: Tues Thurs 9-7, Weds &  Fri 9-5, & Sat 9-1. Visit our website
thompsonfreelibrary.org, our Facebook page, Instagram @tf_library, or contact us
at thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com or (207)564-3350. All programs are free & open to the
public.

Our latest newsletter is out now! Click the link below to see it!

April 2023 [pdf]

Contents: Cathie Pelletier Storms Into Town | Paving Her Own Way as a Writer | The Bee’s Trees | Weed Whackers | To Boldly Grow | Egging Us On | Biblio: A Real Plus | Bigfoot, Big Turnout | Help Wanted | Win-Win | This Library is Cool as Ice! | Blind Date with a Book | Dazzling Displays

by Kim Brawn

Imagine if your favorite movie characters were replaced by Peeps (the marshmallow candy, not your BFFs!). The shark from “Jaws,” R2D2, Brando in “The Godfather.” Think Field of Peeps, Top Peep Maverick, Every Peep Everywhere All at Once. Or books: Moby Peep, All the President’s Peeps (ok, that works both ways!), or even Colleen Hoover’s unforgettable, It Ends with Peeps. Peep dioramas are the theme of this year’s spring art show. But there’s much more on tap. April’s lineup at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is like the eclectic morning show you never knew you needed.

It’s almost time to plan your gardens which means it’s time for the return of TFL’s popular Free Seed Library. Soon you’ll be able to browse through dozens of seeds packets (vegetables, flowers, & more) — pick up an old favorite or try something new. Later, feel free to help replenish our stock with seeds of your own.

Now for the peep de résistance (you just know this would be Mo Rocca’s segment). Get ready for TFL’s Easter Peep Diorama Art Show. Pick up a pack of Peep bunnies at the library April 4-8 to create your own diorama from a favorite book or movie. Add more Peeps if you’d like, use any materials and art formats you’d like, but make it no bigger than the size of a large shoebox. Your designs are due back to us by Friday, April 21. We’ll put them on display just like last year’s tiny art show. For ideas, google peep dioramas or stop by and look at some examples Michelle Fagan, our youth services librarian, has put together. Open to all ages.

On the existential front, have you ever asked yourself “is immortality desirable?” thought about cryogenics, or pondered life after death? Whatever your feelings or beliefs, join TFL’s Philosophy Circle to discuss “Immortality” on Friday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Look out Martha and Rachael, Gale Robinson kicks off TFL’s 101 Series with “Quick & Easy Jewelry Making” on Thursday, April 13 at 1:30 p.m. Learn to make a lovely piece of jewelry as Gale (from Leaves & Blooms Greenhouse & Dover Cove Farmers’ Market) takes us step by step through this fast & fun process. Learn the terms for the various components & where to get all the supplies you’ll need to make your own wonderful creations! There will be many designs to choose from and supplies will be provided.

Before “Caste: The Origin of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson was chosen as our reading group’s April selection, Oprah Winfrey on her website, called it her “most vital Book Club selection yet” and went on to say, “It explains why we are where we are in terms of racial injustice, and it shows us how to rebuild a world in which all are truly free and equal.” Share your own review on April 13 at 6 p.m. Copies available at the library.

Time to call in the experts to help us sort through, “Animals in the Garden: Yay or Nay.” Wildlife can be a major pest in a home garden causing considerable damage. At the same time, many home gardeners want to attract some wildlife to their gardens for enjoyment. UMaine Cooperative Extension will offer an informative talk on animals in the garden on Thursday, April 20 at 10 a.m.

Let’s turn our eyes to the cosmos. The night sky is a magical wonderland made more incredible when we know what to look for or what we’re looking at. As the days become longer and warmer, star gazing is a fun family activity that is still possible in much of Maine. TFL is pleased to be hosting Northern Stars Planetarium at Central Hall Commons for two sessions on Thursday, April 20 at 4 and 5:30 p.m. Their presentation “Our Night Sky” will focus on what planets, stars, and constellations you can see this time of year. Contact the library to sign up, space is limited. Open to all ages.

Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District and Maine Audubon are teaming up for “Stream Smart: A Road Crossing Workshop” on Tuesday, April 25 at 8:30 a.m. at TFL. This workshop is designed for professionals responsible for road-stream crossings and highlights connecting fish and wildlife habitat while protecting roads and public safety. Presenters hail from federal and state agencies as well as Maine nonprofits. Participants may receive recertification credit. For details and to register, visit https://piscataquisswcd.org.

Author talks can be surprising and unpredictable. Like a Hoda & Jenna interview, you never know where they will lead. Maine author and law enforcement veteran David Wilson stops by on Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m. (rescheduled from March) to talk about his latest book, “Peanut Butter Memoirs.” He describes the book as “a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always true reflection of my career in law enforcement.” While Bill Bushnell in the Kennebec Journal called it “a gritty, unvarnished view of a cop’s profession, its rewards and disappointments, successes and set-backs.”

This time of year, everyone has pent up energy to release. Fortunately, we have the peeps and the Peeps to help you channel your creativity, learn and grow, and have fun. From the garden to the stars to infinity, tune in for all the information and resources to make your April an adventure to remember!

TFL hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit our website https://www.thompsonfreelibrary.org, our Facebook page, Instagram @tf_library, or contact us at thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com or 207/564-3350. All programs are free and open to the public.

by Kim Brawn

It’s fleeting and precious and “of the essence” in climactic movie scenes. While I’m skeptical that it heals all wounds or is always on my side, I am happy that “springing forward” will give us more of the daylight kind. Yes, I’m biased, but time at the Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft is definitely well spent.

Maine author and law enforcement veteran David Wilson, who has lived and worked in Piscataquis County, visits TFL on Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. to discuss his latest work “Peanut Butter Memoirs,” which he describes as “a sometimes humorous, sometimes serious, but always true reflection of my career in law enforcement.” Bill Bushnell in the Kennebec Journal called the book “a gritty, unvarnished view of a cop’s profession, its rewards and disappointments, successes and set-backs.”

If you have some free time on Friday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. why not join TFL’s Philosophy Circle to discuss the perception of (you guessed it!) “Time” and how it affects our lives. A quick trip to Wikipedia shows that time is often referred to as the fourth dimension, a paradox, the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession, or my favorite, in physics, it’s operationally defined as “what a clock reads.”

Speaking of which, TFL’s Reading Group meets Thursday, March 9 at 6 p.m. to focus on “Writers & Lovers” by Portland resident Lily King. In a New York Times piece on books that give comfort, author Ann Patchett wrote, “Writers & Lovers made me happy. Even as the narrator grieves the loss of her mother and struggles to create art and keep a roof over her head, the novel is suffused with hopefulness and kindness. Lily King writes with a great generosity of spirit.” Copies available at the library.

From the timing-is-everything files, Kris and Joe, mid-life characters from Guilford resident Wendy Denney’s new book “Gold Dust on the Highway” connect up on a cross country road trip. Their lives converge and are forever changed. Sound intriguing? Come listen to Wendy (who runs the Guilford Bed and Breakfast with her husband) spill the beans on her latest romance-humor-drama-filled novella on Thursday, March 23 at 6 p.m.

Learn to “Be Red Cross Ready” on Thursday, March 30 at 12 p.m. as representatives from the Northern New England Red Cross show you simple steps you can take to help prepare and protect yourself and your loved ones in case of home fires, floods, and other disasters or emergencies. There will also be an opportunity to sign up for free in-home smoke alarm installations and to create fire escape plans.

Mark your calendars, set reminders, write notes, whatever it takes, to make TFL’s Story Time — Fridays at 10 a.m. — part of your weekly routine! Michelle Fagan, our youth services librarian, says, “It’s a great way for the little ones to listen to stories, interact with peers, and play.” What a fun way to help your child get to know sounds, words and language while sparking their imagination and curiosity.

Let’s fast forward to Saturday, April 1 from 10 a.m. to noon for “Pysanky Easter Egg Making.” Pysanky are easter eggs decorated using beeswax and dyes. This ancient Ukrainian traditional folk art takes on a special meaning of hope, resilience, and community after the invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war. This program is for ages 10 and up because an open flame is used. Please contact TFL to register.

It’s about time or, in library parlance, it’s long overdue. We want to give a warm shoutout and big thank you to the incredible interlibrary loan team at Bangor Public Library for all their help and great work over the years in getting books and DVDs for our patrons. The materials come from libraries all across Maine as well as around the country. If TFL doesn’t have something you want (and neither does BALSAM ILL, which you can search in our catalog), chances are that BPL’s ILL department will track it down!

Isn’t it strange how time can drag on when we’re young and fly as we get older? And the last three years have thrown our inner clocks for a loop and out the window. While we can’t stop time or stretch it, the Thompson Free Library can help you make the most of it — with diverse programming, an ever-evolving collection, and essential services.

TFL hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sat 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit our website https://www.thompsonfreelibrary.org, our Facebook page, Instagram @tf_library, or contact us at thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com or 207-564-3350. All programs are free and open to the public.