Beflast Free Library

Come Boating! Winter Adventure Series : Scallop Farming in Penobscot Bay
2025-03-18 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Abbott Room
Andrew and Samantha Peters founded Vertical Bay in 2018 as a model for scallop farming in Maine. Andrew will discuss how their scallops are grown in the nutrient-rich waters of the Penobscot Bay, the “ear-hanging” method of farming he uses, how he has benefitted from the work of research institutions in Maine and the challenges and opportunities scallop farming presents.
This program is jointly sponsored by Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, the Belfast Free Library and Come Boating.
It will be held in the Abbott Room with a ZOOM option. Register for the Zoom here.

Belfast Garden Club Program
2025-03-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Abbott Room
On Tuesday, March 18 at noon in the Abbott Room of Belfast Free Library, the Belfast Garden Club will host garden writer, photographer, farmer, and native plants purveyor Ivonne Vasquez, who will speak about a new gardening movement that is gaining momentum. Edimental gardening, or edible ornamental planting, provides the best of both worlds. This variety of plants is both beautiful and useful as food, natural dye, and medicine, and provides for pollinators and for multi-season visual enjoyment.
Vazquez will explore plants for gardens and containers with a strong focus on native plants which will add the Edimental factor to your growing areas.
Ivonne Vazquez is passionate about native plants, herbs, pollinators, DIY, sustainability, the environment, and the outdoors. She is most often found using her skills as a small acreage
diversified farmer and owner of a native plant nursery. Ivonne is a freelance writer of gardening DIY articles, an avid photographer, and a speaker whose main topics are plants, flowers, and
pollinators. She owns Bas Rouge Farm near Bangor and teaches extensively in Maine.
This program is free and open to the public.

Wiggle and Rhyme for Babies and Toddlers
2025-03-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Abbott Room
Story, rhyme, song, shakers, scarves, parachute play, toys, bubbles and giggles.

Preschool Storytimes at the Belfast Free Library
2025-03-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Abbott Room
Sharing books, storytelling, puppetry, songs, silliness and a craft.

LEGO Club
2025-03-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Abbott Room
Love LEGOs? Come join the club! The library provides LEGOs. Build what you like or take the Library Challenge. Near the conclusion of the program, you can describe your build or leave it to our imagination. All are welcome!!

Knit2Together
2025-03-12 16:00, 2025-03-05 16:00, 2025-02-26 16:00, 2025-02-19 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.

STEAM Team ~ Exploration of Watersheds
2025-03-06 15:30 - 17:00 | Abbott Room
The Shaw Institute has been conducting coastal monitoring for over 15 years, testing popular beach sites around the Blue Hill Peninsula for harmful algal blooms, fecal bacteria, and other sources of pollution. By analyzing water samples and creating phytoplankton, participants will learn how pollution and nutrient runoff impact them and discover how they can create positive change.
Free event for ages 8-12
For more information or to register, please visit the program’s website.
Or, contact Belfast Free Library at www.belfastlibrary.org.
To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Karen Giles, karengiles@maine.edu or 207.342.5971

John Forti: The Heirloom Gardener
2025-03-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
This year the Belfast Free Library in collaboration with the Belfast Garden Club will offer an evening lecture on Tuesday March 4th at 6:30 pm with John Forti.
The program will take place in the Abbott Room and on Zoom. John Forti will join us on Zoom and we will set up for an audience in the Abbott Room.
Register for the Zoom link here.
John Forti’s 2021 book, The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World, made a plea for returning to gardening practices that support, rather than undermine, the ecology of a place. His talk will take up many of the topics he explores in his book, including the craft of gardening and how it connects us—not only to the earth, but to our fellow earthlings.
John Forti is an award-winning heirloom specialist, garden historian, ethnobotanist, garden writer, and local foods advocate. He is executive director of Bedrock Gardens, an artist-inspired
public sculpture garden and landscape in Lee, New Hampshire, and the recipient of a national 2020 Award of Excellence from National Garden Clubs. He is also a regional governor and
biodiversity specialist for Slow Food USA, a national chapter of Slow Food, a global organization and international grassroots movement that connects food producers and consumers to champion local agriculture, farmers markets, and traditional, regional cuisine. John lives and gardens along the banks of the Piscataqua River in Maine.

Computer class: iPhone Intermediate (3-session class)
2025-03-03 14:00 - 15:00 | Third Floor Conference Room
*REGISTRATION REQUIRED*
March 3 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
March 4 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
March 5 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
This class is three sessions long—attendees should plan on attending all three sessions.
This course builds on the skills that are acquired in the iPhone Basics class. The primary focus of the Intermediate class is the exploration of the applications that Apple provides for free as part of the iOS. Applications such as Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Messages, FaceTime, and many others will be covered.
Requirements for this class:
An iPhone connected to the internet and completion of iPhone Basics or have equivalent knowledge.
This class is offered in partnership with the National Digital Equity Center, meaning an instructor from this organization will be teaching the class. Attendees must enroll and register at https://digitalequitycenter.org/classes/class/iphone-basics/?instance_id=5301 For more information, contact 338-3884 ext. 25 or spietryka@belfastlibrary.org

Belfast Free Library 6th Annual Food Drive
2025-02-24 08:00 - 17:00

Civil War Genealogy
2025-02-19 14:00 - 15:30 | Abbott Room
Have you ever wondered if you had an ancestor who fought in the Civil War? Or in what unit? Or when? Or in what battles? So many questions!
Genealogist Rick Davis may not have every answer, but he will present some of the best resources for answering these questions and more at this meeting of the Wawenoc Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society.
All are welcome! These are typically hybrid meetings, 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.

Come Boating Winter Adventure Series: Adventures in the Faroe Islands with Marci Richardson
2025-02-18 18:30 - 20:00 | Abbott Room
Marci Richardson will share her travel experiences and upcoming journey to the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago of the Kingdom of Denmark, consisting of 18 volcanic islands, located in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Norway, known for its stunning landscapes and rich Norse history, popular with hikers and bird watchers and especially fiber enthusiasts. Visiting the Faroe Islands is truly an unforgettable journey off the beaten path.
Marci is a prior trauma room nurse, owner of the Elegant Ewe Yarn Shop in Concord, NH for 25 years, started Elegant Ewe Travel in 2016, textile themed travel organizer. Loves travel adventures and new experiences, hiking, horseback riding,and….rowing!

Register for the Zoom link here
