Happy spring everyone!

I celebrated this weekend by starting my spring cleaning; raked some leaves from the parts of the yard where the snow has melted, picked up the junk that had accumulated in the garage, and scrubbed the kitchen floor.

It was all of 20 minutes before the kids were tracking mud across it again, of course. Spring is really the worst time of year for cleaning your floors in Maine.

Spring is also when we finish up planning our summer programming here at the library. We’ve got a lot on the docket this year, but here’s a sneak peek: we’ll be kicking things off with Windjammers for Wee Mateys and Summer Reading sign-up on the lawn in June; Friday movie nights on the lawn will start in July and run through late August; and we’re bringing back the amazingly talented Judith Kalaora for a live History in Action performance on July 24 and Lindsay and Her Puppet Pals on July 23.

The 15th annual Books in Boothbay Book Fair will be held at the Railway Village on Saturday, July 27. If you’ve ever been to a book fair before, you know what fun it is to meet the authors and fellow book enthusiasts. If you haven’t, you’re missing out!

In August, we’ll host author James Hornor for a talk on Aug. 1, followed by Marine Mammals of Maine on Aug. 3 with a presentation on seals.

As we did last summer, we’ll run free college admissions counseling with Jane Watkins. This year, we’re adding a free, intensive SAT prep course (registration required). Grandkids coming up for the summer are welcome to both of these programs, so let them know!

More immediately, we’ve got our third annual Earth Day Fest scheduled for Saturday, April 20 out on our lawn (rain location: Boothbay Harbor Fire Station), beginning at 10 a.m. Many of our community nonprofits and municipal offices will be there to show you how their work intersects with our environment. Plus, Chewonki will be there with the Bug Mobile at 11 a.m. until noon. Don’t miss it!

For Spring Break week at BRES, we’ll have daily Lego building drop-in sessions, a Wednesday night PJ movie time, and all of our regularly scheduled story times.

This week, we’re hosting Maine State Representative Holly Stover for an informal, drop-in coffee and conversation time. She’ll be in the Great Room on Saturday, March 23, from 10:30 a.m. until noon to tell you about her first few months in the Maine House and hear your ideas about legislative topics and what you’re envisioning for the future of our state.

April’s So Near & So Far Cuban-inspired book discussion group meets to discuss “Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina Garcia on Saturday the 6th in at 10:30 a.m. This group is sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council.

Finally, join us for an afternoon of laughs and learn about the mystery, thriller, and suspense genres on Saturday, April 6, at 1 p.m. Work with mystery writers Richard Cass, Sandra Neily and Brenda Buchanan to help solve a mystery on the fly.

Audience participation supplies the clues for these sleuths (settings, weapons, motives, etc.). Then, with help from the audience, the authors will build a mystery as they discuss how a writer approaches the decisions they make while they writing their books. You won’t want to miss this!

All the while, we’re looking ahead to the fall to make some important decisions. Please join library staff and Officer Larry Brown for a discussion about the annual downtown Halloween Parade on Tuesday, March 26, from 11 a.m. until noon. We will discuss both past routes and potential future routes in an effort to make sure the event is as safe and sweet as possible.

Anyone with feedback or ideas should come to this meeting: business owners, community groups, or parents/caregivers. RSVPs appreciated, so please email me at desiree@bbhlibrary.org

Whew! Is it time for our winter hibernation yet?

Upcoming events

Student Art Show: Come see our March art show in our upstairs Community Room. Students have created art with the theme Our Favorite Faces.

So Near & So Far Book Group: Saturday, April 6, 10:30 a.m.-noon, “Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina García. Great Room.

Mystery Makers: Saturday, April 6, 1 p.m. Work with mystery writers Richard Cass, Sandra Neily and Brenda Buchanan to help create and solve a mystery on the fly.

Monday Night Book Club: Monday, April 8, 7 p.m. “A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline.

I Love A Mystery! Book Group: Saturday, April 13, 10:30-11:30 a.m. “The Alchemist’s Daughter” by Mary Lawrence.

PJ Story Time: Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Bring your PJs and a favorite stuffy to hear an evening story with Miss Harolyn.