Join us for an outdoor, social-distance-friendly Bee Workshop!

Come to the Thompson Free Library on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:30 am for an outdoor Bee Workshop with Lynn Lubas! We ask that you please wear a face covering to this program.

This workshop will provide participants of all ages with an overview of the life cycle of a honeybee and a description of equipment necessary to keep bees. There will be an observation hive on site to view some working honeybees.

Lynn Lubas of Penquis Beekeepers will lead the discussion and will answer questions for participants. Lynn has been a beekeeper for approximately 8 years and has a large perennial garden and pond to help feed pollinators.

Thompson Free Library is working to start our very own Community “Zine.”

What is a zine, you ask? A zine (pronounced “zeen” just like the end of the word magazine) is a homemade publication. Making a zine is all about self-expression and creativity, sharing thoughts, feelings, and creative passions through non-fiction writings, fan fiction, short stories, poetry, song writing, photography, comic or graphic novel strips, doodles, paintings, drawings, and more.

Zines can have an array of messages or topics, and ours will be shared in both neatly-bound and web- based presentations. Every zine we publish will begin with a creative prompt. Our first go-round idea is this:

Are you an avid film-buff with a head full of endless lists of the film titles you can’t stop talking about? Are you the 5K racer or marathoner forever in training or competitions? Is it cats and kittens for you, or dogs and puppies that have forever captured your heart? Do you find yourself foraging through antique stores looking for unexpected treasures? Got grandchildren? What’s your favorite genre: sci-fi, horror, mysteries, or perhaps it is romantic comedies? You a Trekkie? Is it your dream to be a groupie or even a roadie for Lady Gaga or Fallout Boy? A chess player looking for your next checkmate/game-over thrill? A solitary hiker of the wooded wilderness? A Nascar nut, budding chef, gadget-guru, or the next Eric Clapton on guitar?

We’re taking passions here, and ‘Passions’ is the prompt for our first issue. We invite your creative submissions for publication.

Submissions for this first Zine will be due by 5 pm on August 28th, 2020.

And by the way, if you can think up a catchy name for our community zine (or a future topic that might be fun) please let us know!

Request and Rules:

The Thompson Free Library is looking for community members from the Maine Highlands Region to submit a piece/pieces of work (maximum of 3 pages) to be published in an inclusive, all-ages publication. Submitting hand-written writing is fine as long as it is legible, plus we’re requiring 1-inch margins so the physical zine can be bound.

If you are submitting art or photographs, we are asking for pictures or scans of the art, we do not want originals; we want you to keep those.

Again, please remember that this is an all-ages, inclusive publication, so we ask that language and content be kept appropriate for everyone. Hateful content of any kind will not be published, and we furthermore reserve the editorial right to select or dismiss submissions at our discretion.

Please send submissions by email to thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com or by snail mail to 186 E. Main Street, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.  If you have any questions, please email us or call us at 207-564-3350.

We can’t wait to do this project with our community members!

Thompson Free Library has partnered with the Piscataquis County Soil and Water Conservation District (PCSWCD) and SeDoMoCha to create two story walks!

A story walk features signs along an outdoor path that feature picture book pages, questions, and activities. Follow along to read the story while exploring the outdoors!

Visit PCSWCD’s Law Farm to read “Because of an Acorn” written by Lola and Adam Schaefer and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannin.

Visit the picnic area near the nature trail at SeDoMoCha to read “A Nest is Noisy” written by Dianna Hutts Aston and Illustrated by Sylvia Long.

Both story walks will be available through August.

Share photos from your story walk using the hashtag #dfstorywalk2020.

Join us for a “Concert of Summer Celebration” with the Highlands Classical Chamber Ensemble on Thursday, July 16 at 6:30 pm, outdoors on the library lawn.

The program will include tangos, waltzes, and ragtime, as well as favorite classical selections. Solos, duos, piano duet and piano trios will be played, with works by John Williams, Mozart, Debussy, Saint Saens and others.

Outdoor seating will be provided for up to 50 people, with generous spacing allowed. This concert is free and open to the public. We ask that all guests wear a face covering. In case of rain, the concert will occur on Friday, July 17 at 6:30 pm.

Highlands Classical has performed masterworks of classical music in the towns of Central Maine for over eight years. These well-received concerts have normally appeared in spring. However, to celebrate summer life in the community, this new program of light music will also be offered.

Members Susan Ramsey, violin and guitar, Ruth Fogg, cello, Katherine Hunter, flute, and Margery Aumann, piano, will be joined by guests Evelyn Marston, flute, and Evan Viera, piano.


Want to learn how to prepare healthy foods on a limited budget? Come to a virtual workshop taught by a trained nutrition professional!

This free 4-class online series will give you the skills to shop, cook, and eat healthy foods while staying within your food budget. There will be recipe demonstrations and time for questions at each fun and interactive session.

All participants will receive a free gift along with a colorful cookbook with 24 healthy, low-cost recipes and nutrition tips.

When? Choose your own adventure! ***Pick one per week***

Where? Zoom! Link will be provided upon registration.

Please contact Greta at 207-564-3350 or thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com to register.

WEEK 1WEEK 2WEEK 3WEEK 4
Monday, July 6
9 am
Monday, July 13
9 am
Monday, July 20
9 am
Monday, July 27
9 am
Wednesday, July 8
12 pm
Wednesday, July 15
12 pm
Wednesday, July 22
12 pm
Wednesday, July 29
12 pm
Thursday, July 9
6 pm
Thursday, July 16
6 pm
Thursday, July 23
6 pm
Thursday, July 30
6 pm