Dear Wallkill Public Library Community,

I wanted to take the time to introduce myself and let you all know how excited I am to have the opportunity to serve you as the new Wallkill Public Library Director. The welcome that I've received so far from those of you who I've already met already has been amazing, and I look forward to meeting more of you in the days to come. If you have the opportunity to come by and say hello, please do. I'd love to meet more of you. Seeing as my wife and I are new to the area, if you're so inclined, please pass along your recommendations for places to visit or dine out when you do.

More importantly, I want to assure you all that I take the role of library director very seriously. Wallkill Public Library has a great staff, and I'm lucky to have an opportunity to work with them to serve you. I'll do my best, along with all of the staff, to continue giving you all the great level of service you've come to expect from the library.

Sincerely, Dan Perkins

Saturday, April 27

Be sure to visit the library on Town-Wide Yard Sale day, Saturday, April 27, for the library's book sale. You'll find great bargains on gently used books for all ages, DVDs, and books on CDs, and we'll get some needed space for more new ones! Win WIN!

The sale will be held in our Reading Room from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Congratulations to the winners of the Tiny Birdhouse Art Show Viewer's Appreciation Awards! And the winners (from left to right) are....

• Family - Jamie W./Aiden R. - #1
• Youth - Keira C. - #17
• Adult - Julie M. - #32
• Teen - Keira W. - #24

237 total votes were cast to determine the winners of the Viewer's Choice Awards. Thank you to everyone who participated with your amazing creations and to those who took the time to vote! Participants may pick up their creations and enjoy them at home.

Join the community for the third annual Duck Derby, a fun, family-friendly event on Saturday, May 11. The Duck Derby is hosted by Vision of Wallkill and Wallkill High School’s Senior Celebration Committee. Yellow rubber ducks will be launched into the Wallkill River, each contending to cross the finish line at Popp Park to claim the coveted “Fastest Duck” award and cash prize.

The Duck Derby will take place at Popp Park (3081 Route 208, Wallkill, NY 12589), starting at 12 noon. There are plenty of activities before the race: a bounce house, DJ and music, contests and games with ‘Ducky’ twists. The Wallkill Woman’s Club will be selling flowers just in time for Mother’s Day. Vendors will be offering BBQ and hot dogs for purchase, making it an easy and affordable lunch for the family. At 1 p.m., enjoy the Birds of Prey presentation sponosored by the Wallkill Public Library (see below for more info). If you haven’t adopted your duck before getting to Popp Park for the derby, you can do so between 12 and 2:30 p.m. Ticket sales end at 2:30 p.m. on derby day.

The Duck Derby main event kicks off at 3 p.m. Boaters will paddle up the Wallkill River to launch the rubber ducks and you can watch them float downstream towards Popp Park. Winners will be announced once all the rubber ducks have been retrieved from the river.

Want to adopt a duck? Contact members of Vision of Wallkill and Sr. Celebration Committee or stop in at the Wallkill Public Library for tickets. When you adopt a duck, you are supporting Wallkill High School’s Senior Class. Be sure to mark your calendar for a fun afternoon for the entire family. For more information about the Duck Derby, or for tickets, call/text: VOW at 845-325-2329 or Sr. Celebration at 845-728-0606.

Please note: this is a rain or shine event. The derby race may be cancelled if the river conditions are deemed dangerous for our boaters, kayakers, volunteers and spectators.

April is National Pecan Month. For this month's Monthly Munch, Miss Christine organized a taste test of homemade cookie bars (prepared with love by Ms. Peg) that featured pecans - Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Coconut & Pecans and Chocolate Pecan Pie Magic Bars. Taste test participants were entered to win a basket full of the ingredients for the winning recipe.

We are happy to announce the winner of the prize basket featuring the ingredients for our favorite pecan cookie bar recipe - Ms. Virginia Aller! Congratulations, Ginny!

Stop by the library to grab a copy of the recipes used in the competition!

Celebrate National Cheese Month! Create a charcuterie board!

May is National Cheese Month so our Monthly Munch will focus on charcuterie!

It's more that cutting cheese cubes, donning dips and blooming pepperoni roses... It's about balance of flavors, colors, shapes and more! Learn some of the tricks of cutting, forming, placement and create a snack board to take home. One board per family, please! 

Ages 12+ Registration required. Contact Christine Adams if you have any questions.

The Saturday Morning Book Club will have their next meeting at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, April 27. They'll be discussing The Keeper of Happy Endings by Barbara Davis. The group will be meeting in the library's children's room since the Book Sale will be happening in the reading room that day.

Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It’s said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline’s world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget.



Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline’s old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory’s and Soline’s lives begin to surface. It’s clear that they were destined to meet—and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic. – Goodreads

On Thursday, May 9, at 6:30 p.m., the adult fiction book club will meet in our reading room to discuss The Measure by Nikki Erhlick. The Saturday Book Club loved this title, so the Adult Fiction Club jumped on board.

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything - Goodreads

Bingo cards are due April 30

Spring into the library for books, movies, museum passes and magazines! It's not too late to start. Every square completed is a chance to win a $25 gas card from Stewart’s! Pick up your Book Bingo card today at the library or download your own!

The 2024 Ulster County Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is now accepting applications from Ulster youth between the ages of 14 and 20. SYEP is operating from July 1st to August 2nd and the young people will be paid $15 per hour and can work up to 40 hours per week.

For an application, more information, or to check eligibility: call 845-340-3170 or visit: UlsterWorks.com. Ask at the library circulation desk for an application. Deadline for applications is May 10.

No more wondering if your favorite author has written a book lately. No more forgetting to reserve that bestselling author’s newest title.

Our Favorite Authors Club is the ultimate in convenience for our avid readers. Simply select your favorite authors from the list. Your name will automatically be placed on the hold list when new titles by your authors are ordered. We can't guarantee how near the top you'll be, but it's one less thing you'll have to think about.

Click here to see the list of authors we are offering. Simply fill out the form, drop it off to us and you’re done. Take advantage of this automatic reserve program today!

Every 2 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Please give.

The next local Red Cross Blood Drive is on Tuesday, April 30 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Wallkill Reformed Church, 45 Bridge Street, Wallkill, NY 12589 in their Fellowship Hall. To schedule your appointment, please visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter the keyword: Wallkillrefchurch or call 1-800-RedCross (1-800-733-2767). Thank you!

2024 Chronogrammies

Thanks to our community, Wallkill Public Library has reached the final round of the Chronogrammies 2024 - awards sponsored by Chronogram Media celebrating the creative people who make the Hudson Valley absolutely amazing. Find us in the Library subcategory of Arts & Entertainment!! We are also the only Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS) member library in the final round!

Help us win by clicking the button to submit your vote! You can submit one vote per day through May 15th!

Spring has sprung with these mini egg topiaries!

Mahjong meet-ups

Every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 6 p.m. the library hosts our Mahjong Clubs. If you’re a player or just interested in learning, join us! We supply the games and (a limited number of) 2023 mahjong cards. Just drop in, no registration required.

Forgot your card? Check one out at the circulation desk to use during the game!

Adult crafting

Grab a project and come enjoy the craft of your choice, whether it's knitting, crocheting, diamond painting, coloring, embroidery, or cross stitch!

Adult Crafting meets on Thursday afternoons between 2:00-5:00 PM. No registration is required.

Recycling made easy

Wondering what's the best way to get rid of those used batteries rolling around in your junk drawer?

The Library accepts used batteries and cell phones to be recycled! You will find the WeRecycle Battery Box located on our window seat. Please use a plastic baggie (found on the side of the box) to place your batteries or cell phones in before placing them in the battery recycle box. Quick, easy, convenient, and environmentally friendly!

Woodburning on Workshop Wednesday

The group with a green thumb made wood burned garden markers at last week's Workshop Wednesday.

Wood burned plant markers make a great addition to your herb, veggie, or flower garden! Feel free to snip some sage or parsley from our front door planters when you visit!

Spring greeting cards

Workshop Wednesday was springing with creativity as patrons designed greeting cards from decorative seasonal napkins!

Calling all teens...

• Spark up a conversation!
• Unpack your baggage while playing games!
• Enjoy snacks!
• An after-school hangout!

Join us at the Wallkill Public Library on the following days:

• Monday, April 22, 2:30-4:30 PM
• Monday, May 6, 2:30-4:30

Call/text Marla at 845-542-0217 for more information. Sponsored by the Wallkill Reformed Church.

We have been in full swing spring here in the Children’s Room and are welcoming the season with some amazing special programming!

March 21st was Absolutely Incredible Kid Day! We celebrated at the library by making "amazing" awards, doing some "awesome" salt painting, and creating "incredible" Oobleck. Kudos to all of you absolutely incredible kids out there!

Though the days are warming up, we still have had some chilly nights… which meant a visit from Jack Frost! Mr. Frost delighted us with chilly hijinks, silly pranks… and he even made it snow indoors!

Special guest Shantha Thangiah, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, joined us for a space-tacular event to celebrate the solar eclipse! We learned fab facts, formed human eclipses, and made personalized masks for our viewing glasses. Thanks to Shantha and all who commemorated this special time in history with us!

During our community's 3rd annual Duck Derby on Saturday, May 11th, Brian Robinson of Robinson's Wildlife Lectures will provide an educational wildlife presentation with live birds of prey and reptiles at 1:00 PM. His presentation will focus on the amazing adaptations these animals have as well as their importance in nature. Click the button for more information about this program and all of the quack-tastic events happening at the Duck Derby! Registration is not required - join us at Popp Memorial Park! 

Zoey endeared our friends with some cool tricks at our last Storytime! Register here to see what she has in store during her next visit on Tuesday, May 21st at 10:30 AM.

Registration is REQUIRED. Please register each child separately.

On Saturday, May 25th at 11:00 AM, join lifelong environmental educator George Steele on an adventure in identifying the tracks of eight mammals found in our fields and forests. We will also make animal track bandanas for exploring at home and beyond!

Teen Volunteers Needed!

Are you a teen looking for volunteer opportunities for community service for your school and/or an organization? Then stop by our library to fill out a form or grab one off of our website. We are especially looking for assistance during our Summer Reading Program - spend time outdoors and lend a helping hand during our fun events and special performances! 

April is National Poetry Month! 

Check out our special book display and bulletin board honoring poets and poetry!

• Our doors are open for library services including browsing for library materials, making copies, sending faxes, and using the public access computers.
• Our bookdrop is open for contact-free and after-hours returns of library materials. Be sure to secure DVD and BCD cases with rubber bands.
• Curbside delivery of pre-ordered items is available by request. Call the circulation desk at 845-895-3707 to make a pick-up appointment.
• Fine-free returns on everything, except museum/park passes.
• Inter-library loans are available between all RCLS libraries.
• Grab & GO projects with materials necessary for crafts available for pickup at the library.
• In-person programming, with appropriate social distancing.
• Museum passes are available to Wallkill Public Library patrons for Boscobel House and Gardens, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum, Empire Pass, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Hudson River Maritime Museum, Mohonk Preserve, Museum Village, and Storm King Art Center. Plus, more print-at-home museum passes available through the Ulster County InfoPortal on the library’s website.
• We are not accepting any donations of books or DVDs at this time.