Open Playtime for Babies and Toddlers at SFL@21Main Street on Thursday Mornings

Starting this week, on Thursday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 am, the Sawer Free Library will be hosting Open Play at SFL@21MainStreet.

This unstructured open play for little ones and caregivers is an opportunity for social interaction and a nurturing way to introduce the very young to the library. Books and toys will be provided for caregivers to interact with their little ones and are best suited for ages 0-2. No registration needed.

Questions? Contact: jvitale@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5505.  

Springtime Literary Party at SFL@21 Main Street – Thursday evening, April 20th

Come and join us at the Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester for some springtime literary fun on Thursday, April 20th.

From 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. local harpist Moira Kelly will be sharing festive musical entertainment while refreshments are provided.

Then at 6:15 p.m. local Irish author Robert T. McMaster will be introducing his latest novel, Rose of Glenkerry: A County Wicklow Mystery via Zoom, the virtual presentation will be broadcasted at SFL@ 21 Main Street location for all to enjoy.

Though registration is not required, the first three to fill out a registration form HERE will receive a free copy of the book! 💐

Questions? Visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.


The Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club Presents: ASTRONOMY APRIL

Friday, April 14, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

YGSC: Solar System Explorers – The Young Gloucester Scientists Club is hosting a live virtual interactive journey through our Solar System with experts from Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University. This program is suitable for 4th-8th graders. Registration is required to receive the link. This program is virtual, should a device be needed reach out to Teen Librarian Marisa.

Tuesday, April 18 – Friday, April 21 

Astronomy Take & Make Universe in a Jar – a take home kit for tweens and teens with hands on astronomy activities. For students in grades 4-8.  Registration is required for each child individually. Pick up begins Tues, and continues through Friday. 

Friday, April 28, 8:00 to 9:00 p.m.

YSGC Field Trip: Star-Gazing at Halibut Point State Park – SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientist Club is hosting an evening of night-sky observations with the Gloucester Area Astronomy Club.  Students, grades 4th through 8th, and their families, will use telescopes, chat with experts and do some hand-on astronomy activities at this late-night Field Trip to Halibut Point State Park located at 4 Gott Ave, Rockport, MA. Registration is required. 

Questions? Contact Teen Librarian Marisa Hall at mhall@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5549.

Teen Art Collage Project on view at SFL@21 Main Street

Every ninth grader at Gloucester High School is represented in the Tween | Teen Zone at SFL @ 21 Main Street with squares they designed to ‘speak’ for themselves.

The public is invited to come and see this beautiful collaborative collage!

The students participated in this collaborative art activity as part of a Library Information Session that Gloucester High School coordinated by SFL Teen Librarian Meg O’Neil and GHS Librarian Samantha Teixeira.

During Teen Librarian Meg’s visits to Gloucester High School, she had an opportunity to share all about library resources and facilities, ensuring that all students have an SFL card and know about the Tween and Teen Zone as a free, public, safe community space.

For more information about the SFL Tween/Teen Zone at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or visit Sawyer Free Library at 21 Main Street, Gloucester.

Sawyer Free Library & Treetop Yoga present Yoga for Children at Treetop Yoga – starting this Tuesday!

Sawyer Free Library‘s Children’s Services presents Storytime Yoga for children 5 and under with Erin McKay of Treetop Yoga.

This free program will be held, starting this week, on the first TUESDAY of the month: April 4, May 2, & June 6 at 10:45am at Treetop Yoga Studio located at 3A Pond Road in Gloucester.

Register HERE for this joyful morning exploring stories, movement and fun at Treetop Yoga Studio at sawyerfreelibrary.org.

If you have questions, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or contact: jvitale@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-515-6349.


Poetry and Popcorn at SFL @ 21 Main Street

All Gloucester Teens are Invited THIS WEEK: M-F afternoons 3-4p.m.

April is National Poetry Month AND the Sawyer Free Library is hosting its annual Poetry without Poetry Contest until May 14.

To get local teens’ poetic creative juices flowing, the Library is hosting a series of “Poetry and Popcorn” writing workshops. From Monday, April 3 through Friday, April 7, anytime between 3:00 and 4:00 pm, all teens are invited to SFL at 21 Main to enjoy popcorn and an afternoon of poetry writing.

Munch on popcorn (and lollipops, too!) and write your poems, or join Community Librarian Mrs. O’Neill in creating spatial poetry in which together you will reimagine maps, consider issues of place naming, and develop a renewed understanding of place and belonging.

Drop into SFL @ 21 Main Street this week at any time between 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Registration is not required. If you have questions, visit sawyerfreelibrary.org or contact moneill@sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5562.

Don’t miss the Whalemobile at City Hall THIS Friday!

Sawyer Free Library to host Whale Watch Naturalist Cindy McInnis and her life-sized inflatable whale THIS FRIDAY, March 31, 3:30–5:30 pm, at Gloucester City Hall in Kyrouz Auditorium, as part of its Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club

Kids can meet “Nile,” a representation of a 35-year-old adult female humpback whale based on a real humpback whale that frequents Gloucester’s coastal waters. They will have the opportunity to step inside the 43-foot long and 30-foot wide inflatable humpback and learn how whales are similar and different from humans in this interactive program. They will learn about Nile’s migratory path, how many calves she’s had, and how researchers came to this information. Artifacts such as baleen, teeth, and bones will be available for children to see and feel as a part of this interactive program.

The Whalemobile program is suitable for 2nd-8th graders, ages 6 and up. It is free and open to all to attend, although registration is required for each young scientist planning on stepping into the whale.

Please register HERE or sawyerfreelibrary.org. People can sign up in half-hour intervals starting at 4:00 pm and ending at 5:30 pm.  

The event will take place in Kyrouz Auditorium on the second floor of Gloucester City Hall located at 9 Dale Avenue.  

To learn more about the program or upcoming events, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org or call 978-325-5506.

SFL’s Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club to host “The Whalemobile” at Gloucester City Hall on Friday, March 31st

It will be a whale of a time at Gloucester City Hall on Friday afternoon, March 31st, when the Sawyer Free Library hosts Whale Watch Naturalist Cindy McInnis and her life-sized inflatable whale from 3:30–5:30 pm, in Kyrouz Auditorium, as part of its Young Gloucester Scientist’s Club

Young Scientists will have the opportunity to step inside Nile, the 43-foot long and 30-foot wide inflatable humpback, and learn how whales are similar and different from humans in this interactive program. They will learn about Nile’s migratory path, how many calves she’s had, and how researchers came to this information. Artifacts such as baleen, teeth, and bones will be available for children to see and feel as a part of this interactive program.

The Whalemobile program is suitable for 2nd-8th graders, ages 7 and up. It is free and open to all to attend, although registration is required for each young scientist planning on stepping into the whale. Please register on the calendar page of the SFL website. People can sign up in half-hour intervals starting at 3:30 pm and ending at 5:30 pm on the calendar page of SawyerFreeLibrary.org.  The event will take place in Kyrouz Auditorium on the second floor of Gloucester City Hall located at 9 Dale Avenue.

The Young Gloucester Scientists Club is a monthly club for 4th through 8th graders, which takes a hands-on approach to learning, building community connections, and encouraging local youth to actively think like scientists by observing, questioning, and experimenting with the world around them. 

In addition to monthly field trips in the community, circulating Kits and library-produced Digital Content provide children with fun learning activities to do at home and in-person family programming that introduces them to Gloucester Community members with careers across a variety of STEM fields.

To learn more about the program or upcoming events, visit SawyerFreeLibrary.org.

Literary St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Sawyer Free Library

Festive Celebration on Tuesday, March 14 at SFL @ 21 Main Street

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, the Sawyer Free Library @ 21 Main Street is hosting a “Literary St. Patrick’s Day Party” on Tuesday, March 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. The evening is free and open to all to come and enjoy! 

Local harpist Moira Kelly will open the evening at 5:15 p.m. with a lively and interactive performance of traditional Celtic music. 

Then at 6:15 p.m., Massachusetts author Robert T. McMaster will introduce his latest novel, Rose of Glenkerry: A County Wicklow Mystery.  He will present via Zoom, which will be broadcast at the Library for viewing. Both a mystery and a touching love story, the book is set amid the incomparable scenery of Ireland’s County Wicklow. Bob will read excerpts from his book, accompanied by images and music of the Emerald Isle. 

McMaster is a native of Southbridge, Massachusetts, with family ties to Ireland. He has also authored The Trolley Days Series, set in Massachusetts in the World War I era, and a biography of pioneering dinosaur scientist Edward Hitchcock, All the Light here Comes from Above: The Life and Legacy of Edward Hitchcock.

Festive refreshments will also be provided. Though registration is not required, the first three to fill out a registration form will receive a free copy of the book!

For more information visit, sawyerfreelibrary.org or 978-325-5562.