Beflast Free Library

Solar Energy: Retrofitting and New Construction with ReVision Energy
2024-03-28 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Abbott Room
Whether you have an existing home or are drawing up plans to build your dream home; learn from ReVision Energy’s Solar Design Specialist, Will Field, about how to prep yourself for solar and the all-electric household model.
Modern technology makes it cost-effective and sensible to build a 100% solar-powered home, with no utility bills and a minimal carbon footprint. At ReVision Energy, we’ve helped thousands of homeowners achieve their dream of living in a solar-powered home through retrofitting and new construction, whether we work directly with the homeowner, or with their builder or architect. We are excited to share our 20+ years of experience and advice with you, including next steps!

Waldo Reads Together Book Discussion
2024-04-01 18:00 - 19:30
The Waldo Reads Together (WRT) committee is delighted to announce this year’s featured title for its One Book, One Community program: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by award-winning author, screen writer and jazz musician, James McBride.
Books are available at the Library.
A variety of facilitated discussion sessions (both live and via Zoom) will be offered in April. To register for the discussion at the library visit www.waldoreads.org or contact Denise Pendleton at dpendleton@rsu71.org.

The Wheelbarrow Poets Meet
2024-04-02 09:30 - 11:00, 2024-04-09 09:30 - 11:00, 2024-04-16 09:30 - 11:00 | Abbott Room
The Wheelbarrow Poets meets weekly on Tuesdays in the Abbott Room from 9:30-11:00 a.m. Writing prompts are sent in advance of the gatherings by Belfast Poet Laureate Maya Stein, and participants share work and discuss. Open to writers ages 18 & up. Email hello@mayastein.com for more information and to register.

Book Release and Reading with Marjorie Arnett
2024-04-02 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room

Knit2Together
2024-04-03 16:00, 2024-04-10 16:00, 2024-04-17 16:00 | Abbott Room
Knitters, crocheters, yarn enthusiasts of all experience levels are welcome to join us every Wednesday , from 4:00-5:30 pm in the Abbott Room.
This drop-in event is a chance for knitters- and crocheters too- of all ages and experience levels to chat, get tips, and learn from each other while working on their own projects. Library staff will have computers available to demonstrate how to use Ravelry.com and other websites to help find patterns and organize your work. Registration is not required. For more information please call 338-3884 ext.10
Contact bharrington@belfastlibrary.org to sign up to to join the knitting group.

Reception and reading for : "WELCOME TO GRACKLEDOM: Prints & Poems" by Leslie Moore in the Kramer Gallery
2024-04-09 18:00 - 19:30 | Kramer Gallery
In honor of National Poetry Month, Leslie Moore will show poems and prints in the Kramer Gallery at Belfast Free Library during the month of April. The exhibit, Welcome to Grackledom, will include linocuts and poems from Moore’s magical menagerie books—Grackledom and What Rough Beasts—as well as brand new linocuts.
“The tradition of the poet/artist goes back at least to William Blake and his ‘Tyger,’” writes Carl Little (The Café Review, Spring, 2023). “Moore carries it on with her knock–out combo of verse and linocuts.”
The library will host a reception on Tuesday, April 9th, 6-7:30, with a short reading at 6:30.
Copies of Moore’s books will be available at the reception. Light refreshments will be available

Solar Workshop Series with ReVision Energy- Solar + Storage
2024-04-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
“Join ReVision Energy’s Brandon Mazur, for a discussion about how people are making the cost-effective switch to solar combined with battery storage for backup power.
Learn how you can combine solar power with reliable battery storage to make your home resilient in the face of unknown health and environmental threats. When paired with modern, robust battery technology, today’s solar panels provide the ultimate resiliency package while reducing carbon pollution and our societal need to import dirty fossil fuels. With a rooftop array you can make 100% of the energy you need, while the battery storage ensures backup power when the sun isn’t shining, or the grid goes down.”

Belfast Garden Club Presentation: Controlling Stormwater Runoff with Fred Bowers
2024-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Abbott Room
Storm runoff can stoke soil erosion and damage plants. Luckily there are man-made solutions to erosion, which rely on fundamental natural soil processes. We’ll learn how to design rain gardens with consideration to natural soil and geologic processes, and about a possible demo rain garden for Belfast. Plus: other “green” options, such as eliminating impervious surfaces altogether, terracing, planting shrubs and trees in strategic places to soak up water or divert it, and other methods.
Fred Bowers is a Ph.D. soil scientist. Soils, topography, and vegetation were his research interests at Rutgers and the University of Washington graduate schools. In his 27-year career at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, he was a research scientist in charge of stormwater and groundwater programs.
Click here to register for Zoom

Peterborough Veterans Memorial Monument
2024-04-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Abbott Room
The Town of Warren, Maine holds a rich history of its early settlement, varied industries, and the development of the Georges River Canal amongst other notable items. Did you know that Warren was also the location of Maine’s largest historical African American community?
The community of Peterborough started with the family of Amos and Sarah Peters. Amos was born in Massachusetts of African and Wampanoag Indian ancestry. He served in the American Revolutionary War and moved to the District of Maine after its ending. Sarah was born in Guinea, was kidnapped through the slave trade and brought to Damariscotta by Captain Brown. She was then sold to Captain McIntyre of Warren. Sarah won her freedom after paying $1.00 to a representative, Mr. P. Pebbles, who helped sanction her rights to emancipation. The two married and settled for the remainder of their lives on 150 acres that Amos Peters was deeded near South Pond in Warren by General Henry Knox in the mid 1780’s. By the 1950’s the community had dwindled and the last of its residents moved away.
In 2019, the Town was contacted by a Midcoast community member, who upon learning about Peterborough and its inhabitants, wanted to honor their memory and struggles. They asked about doing restoration work at the cemetery, as this is all that remained of a once vibrant community, which led to the commissioning of a monument dedicated to its Veterans, spanning five wars.
Amanda Shelmerdine, Cemetery Sexton for the Town of Warren, researched the names for the monument, and this presentation will focus on the different research methods utilized in her search to identify the Veterans. She will also discuss the current plans for restoration and preservation of the cemetery and that of the community’s history.
All are welcome! These meetings are now in a hybrid format with the option to join in-person in the Abbott Room or to join online over Zoom. To receive the Zoom link or for more information, please email Sharon Pietryka at spietryka@belfastlibrary.org.

Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition: Planet vs Plastics (part 1)
2024-04-18 17:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Earth Day is Monday, April 22. Earth Day reminds us to think about our beautiful environment and all that we can and should do to preserve it. This is especially important this year when we have had continual reminders of how fragile life on this earth is and how human behavior has affected it.
This year, the national Earth Day organization is focusing on the reduction of the use of plastics – “Planet vs. Plastics.” The organization has set a goal of reducing plastic production by 60% by the year 2040. In keeping with this theme, BBWC and the Belfast Free Library have planned two programs that address the effects of plastics on our environment:
• Thursday, April 18, in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library, will be the first of our “Planet vs. Plastics” presentations. At 5:30, there will be a showing of Earth Day posters created by area students. At 6:00, Plastic Pollution Solutions, a BBWC committee working to decrease the use of single use plastics, will discuss their efforts.
At 6:30, Dr. Charles Rolsky, Executive Director and Senior Research Analyst of the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill, will present a talk on the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and what we can do to help. Light refreshments will be served.
• Tuesday evening, April 23 will be part two of Planet vs. Plastics. At 6:00, we will show the award winning doumentary A Plastic Ocean, followed by discussion about what we can do to limit our personal use of single use plastics.

Belfast Historical Society Program
2024-04-22 19:00 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
1911, Busy, Booming Belfast- presentation with Megan Pinette
Megan Pinette, historical society president, will present a look at 1911 as recorded in the Waldo County Herald newspaper. That year saw several important additions to commercial Belfast; the Colonial Theatre, a corn canning factory, and a sardine packing plant. In the words of WCH editor, Edgar F. Hanson, “Belfast is on the move. Commercially and industrially the city looks better than it has in years.
*Event limited to 75 attendees.
