The State Park Pass Program is up and running! Of the 93 state parks, only 4 are not included in the program: The Flume, Cannon Tramway, Wallis Sands, Hampton Beach. All others are fair game; however, you must plan at least a day ahead since we can’t print the pass the same day. Just let us know, and we’ll have the pass printed and waiting for you. The pass, good for 2 adults and 4 dependents, is valid at more than 1 park on any day. Visit the website: www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks and start planning your summer getaways now!

Come one, come all to our biggest fundraiser of the year: the July 4th Book Sale at the Stone Chapel on the town green. We will be open on the 3rd from 5-7 PM for residents, and on the 4th from 7AM -2 PM for all readers and book lovers. Your donations allow us to purchase more books and support programs in the coming year.

On Saturday, July 6, the Andover Library will be home to our annual Fairy House Construction on the lawn. Children, bring your families from 9-11AM and get those structures up and running.

“SPACE”, this year’s official Summer Reading Program, runs from July 1 through August 3. Children in grades 1- 6 can pick up a “book buck” at every library visit, Andover or Bachelder. Program events will take place every Saturday, starting July 13, and will include a special trip to the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center on Saturday, the 20th, the day marking the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The Libraries will cover fees for the program participants, and they are welcome to invite their families to come along. Kids can sign up at either library for the program and/or the Discovery Center trip. Remember, the program ends on August 3 with games and ice cream and prizes in exchange for all those “book bucks.”

For the month of July, both libraries will host a special art and poetry program, titled “The Road Not Taken.” Most of the exhibit, which is making the rounds of libraries and nature centers all over the state, will be staged at the Bachelder Library, with some art in Andover – it’s all about wall space. Derry artists Ingeborg V. Seaboyer, Judy Krassowski, and Corinne Dodge, inspired by the poetry of Robert Frost, have put together a presentation of 30 pieces that reflect their personal interpretations of some of his most famous works, as well as those “less traveled.” Images rendered in pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics, and oils are accompanied by a selected verse that inspired the work. An exhibit reference booklet will be available.

The Book Club will meet on Wednesday, July 24 at 7PM at the Bachelder Library to discuss “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” The New York Times says: “A misanthropic matriarch leaves her eccentric family in crisis when she mysteriously disappears in this whip smart and divinely funny novel.” 15 year-old Bee narrates the tale of her agoraphobic mother’s misadventures in Seattle’s  high stress computer industry, private school circles, and architectural design world. But Antarctica? Yes, Antarctica. Please join us on the 24th for a humorous look into Bernadette’s world.

Lee Wells