Gafney Calendar

Town Pride Day! 
Parade, vendors, booths.... and so much more!
Stop by the library's booth to say hello and learn about our Summer Reading Program. We will be open during Pride Day, but close during the parade.

Maine author (and Parsonsfield neighbor) Jeffrey Ryan recently built a replica of Henry David Thoreau's house to become his writing studio, fulfilling a 50-plus year dream. His appreciation for Thoreau began when at age thirteen his mother handed him her own childhood copy of Walden.

Right away, Jeffrey latched onto the idea of following Thoreau’s lead and building a cabin in the woods someday. Over the decades, the idea of “a cabin” took many forms, but in 2022, he had a revelation to build “a Thoreau cabin.” His research led him to obtain blueprints from The Thoreau Society and in August 2024, he began building a structure modeled after the original and built almost exclusively using hand tools. His cabin has been featured in The New York Times and Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors magazine.

In this presentation, Ryan will share the steps he took to build the cabin, delve deeper into the reasons he built it, and discuss the unexpected lessons he learned along the way. He will also have many of his books available for purchase and signing.

Stop in during the week to take part in weights and measures activities.

Join us for a day of self-expression and creativity! Stop by the library and make a Yoda craft and see if you can talk just like him!

Please join us, and her brother, Bob McCarthy, on Saturday, May 23rd, from 10:00-12:00pm, as we hold a reception for the late Maureen McCarthy, who passed away in the fall of 2024. 

The exhibit can be viewed during the library's open hours during the month of May. 

McCarthy was known for her watercolors and oil paintings, which were of local scenes, landmarks, barns, birds, and flowers. She especially enjoyed painting eye catching reminders of the New England seasons and views of Mount Washington, including the “Old Man on the Mountain,” and her best-known subject, the “loon.”

McCarthy was a lover of rural New Hampshire landscapes and wildlife. She delighted in capturing its natural beauty—from New Hampshire’s sweeping mountain ranges to the haunting call of the common loon, from the delicate, rarely seen lady’s slipper to the majestic, antlered moose.

McCarthy had been a long-time participant of the Library’s “Art at the Gafney,” summer art shows and had solo shows at the Gafney Library from 2014-2017. In 2005, she presented 250 signed and numbered giclee prints of a realistic watercolor view of the Gafney Library to the Library as a fundraiser. A percentage of those sales went to the Library. The first print in the series still hangs in the Gafney Library to this day.

Her kind and gentle manner is missed by all who knew her. She left a legacy of treasured art to be long remembered and admired.

Join us as we learn all about turtles and even make an

Origami turtle bookmark!

Can you make a paper airplane? Join us as we all make paper airplanes. We’ll try different styles and see which one can fly the farthest. 

Join us for movie night! We’ll be showing Breakfast at Tiffany's (Rated G).

Popcorn will be provided.  

Calling all teens—come celebrate World Otter Day at the library! These playful, curious creatures are full of personality, and we’re joining the fun with a creative twist. Stop by to try your hand at an origami otter craft and create your own adorable aquatic friend to take home.

It’s a laid-back, creative way to learn a little about otters and show your appreciation for wildlife—no swimming required! 

Join us as we learn about the basics of green burial, the types of green burial cemeteries (one of which is a natural burial cemetery), info about other body disposition methods such as conventional burial, cremation, human composting etc, and our efforts to start a natural burial cemetery on the Seacoast of New England.

Join us for creativity day! Come and join us, as we use our imagination and creativity to build something spectacular!