Author: Sue Jeffery

I gotta tell you:  this summer is going to be EPIC!

This summer, the theme for the Summer Reading Club is “Unearth Your Story” and we are leaning in to Dinosaurs as the fan favorite!  Summer Reading Kickoff on May 30^th from 10-12 in Bellbrock Park will feature Dino Buddies and hosts of themed activities for kids.  That’s where the fun begins!

You won’t want to miss exciting presenters like Reptile Adventures, Tricks You’ll Dig,  and The Wave Foundation Sting Rays!

For Teens we have Goat Yoga, Dinolympics (in blow up dino costumes!), and Carmen from Outside the Box is back with Teen Clay Crafting

And this really is just the beginning!!  This year is also America’s 250^th Birthday!  We have 17 programs for every age this June and July to help you celebrate our nation’s anniversary.  It’s a pretty big deal! 

The Summer Reading Club combined with America’s birthday has got me feeling….

April 1^st is the start of Greene County History Month and we are celebrating BIG this year!

Have you even wondered how our tiny Winters Library got its name, or why the building is the way it is?  We will be having two big celebrations on Tuesday, April 28^th to answer these and many more questions you might be asking about our favorite library! 

In the evening, David from the Greene County Room will be presenting The History of Winters-Bellbrook Community Library at 6:30pm.  We hope you will register for this event since seating is limited.  Refreshments will be served and there will be a door prize!  You’ll hear more about the building, its former life as a bank, and the operations of the library.  And, of course, our history wouldn’t be the same without some big names: comedian Jonathan Winters!  Mr. Winters’ grandfather first purchased and leased the building to the people of the Bellbrook-01Sugarcreek area 120 years ago for only one dollar, with one small catch.

 

In the afternoon, we are having a family-friendly Library Birthday Bash at 4pm, featuring our 120-year-old Boston Fern, Grace.  You read that right!  Grace has been in residence since she was donated to the library in 1970, when she was believed to be around 65 years old.  Grace is a big fern with a big story, all told in a new picture book which Miss Abby will be thrilled to read to you!  Rumor has it there will be cupcakes and crafts at the event, too, as we all sing Happy Birthday to Grace!

Plus, we will have our original building plans, favorite photos from years past, and other items from our collection on display at your library all month long!

Your Winters Library has been in service for 120 years, when the lease for the building was signed to turn the former Winters Bank into a public library. And the building was built in 1901, making it 125 years old!  But we couldn’t take care of this little library all by ourselves!  The City of Bellbrook proudly maintains our building, and the Bellbrook Garden Club has been beautifying the gardens for more than twenty years.

We hope to see you on the 28^th, and we look forward to serving the community for (at least!) another 120 years!

I don’t know about you but movie nights in the cinema were a special event for me growing up.  There is something special about being around other folks, all watching the same film while munching on buttery popcorn or your favorite candy. Its seems today that the fun of the whole room clapping at the end of the film or hearing folks shout “NO Don’t go in there!” is still there, but the cost of the movie and all of the accoutrements makes it hard for a large family to attend.

We here at Winters understand!  We have an incredible lineup of films for February and March that are for every age group.  We even have a brand new popcorn machine to make it fun!  Most of these showings are after our regular open hours so there is no worry about the lighting or sounds of the open library.  Who could ask for anything more?  Make sure to sign up (noted as *registration required* as some of these have a limited seating, as well as a potential cancelation of we don’t think there are enough people interested.  Sign up today!

Black History Month Movie Night: Harriet (Adults and Teens *registration required*)

Friday, February 13 2026, 6:00pm–8:30pm

Galentine’s Movie Night: Barbie (12+ Registration Required)

Saturday, February 14, 5:00pm–7:30pm

Afternoon Movie: Toy Story (kids)

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 11:30am–1:00pm

Family Movie Night: Zootopia 2 (All ages *Registration Required*)

Saturday, March 7, 2026, 5:00pm–7:00pm

Family Interactive Movie: How to Train Your Dragon (All Ages -*Registration Required* )

Friday, March 20, 2026, 6:00pm–8:00pm

Spring Break Movie: Moana (Kids)

Monday, March 23, 2026, 1:00pm–3:00pm

Spring Break Movie: Muppets Treasure Island (Kids)

Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 1:00pm–3:00pm

Spring Break Movie: The Princess Diaries  (Kids and Teens)

Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 1:00pm–3:00pm

Spring Break Movie: Into the Spider-Verse (Kids and Teens)

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 1:00pm–3:00pm

Women’s History Month Movie Night: Little Women (12+ *Registration Required*)

Friday, March 27, 2026, 6:00pm–8:30pm

How is it December already?  The elves at Winters-Bellbrook Community Library have been working hard to bring you some holiday cheer!  Take a look at all of the big-sized programs we are fitting into our tiny-sized library!

December 11^th is our biggest Adult event – the Christmas Concert at The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church!  This annual tradition has been a sell-out for at least 5 years now.  Beavercreek Brass presents holiday songs in new inventive ways, while sharing some of the stories behind their creation.  Even though it’s an evening event, it’s appropriate for all ages and families are welcome!

December 12^th is our new after-hours Grinch Interactive Movie that is sure to ‘Stink, Stank, Stunk!’  Who will be the grinchiest?

December 16^th is a fun time for families as we present our second annual Winters Wonderland. Think of it as a holiday party in a family friendly time slot.  From 3:30-4:30 we will have games, treats, crafts, activities, and Travelling Tom’s Truck will provide hot chocolate or mocha coffees to the first 50 attendees.  Then our headliner, Lafferty Pike, is back again with traditional songs from all over the world. 

December 19^th the teens will enjoy an after-hours Teen Movie Night featuring Elf!  Come hang out, enjoy treats and hang with your friends!

But DO.NOT.MISS the Nutcracker Reading at The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church on December 22^nd with harpist Claire Greene and ballerina Daisy Miller from the Springfield Nutcracker! Wow what an opportunity!

And don’t worry because there are always plenty of holiday crafts for all ages too, but register today because these programs sell out fast!

Looking forward, teens will not want to miss our Silent Disco at our Noon-Year’s Eve Celebration in the parks.  For the crafty, don’t forget to register for our annual Tiny Art Show in January for the contest in February, and if you have long been looking to learn how to crochet, we have a very special Learn to Crochet series for the absolute beginner!

When do we ever rest?  Never when it comes to putting together amazing programs for our patrons!  We hope to see you soon and wish you a magical holiday and a very Happy New Year!

If you receive the Bellbrook City Newsletter, you’ll see many of our fall programs on the calendar.  When I was preparing the list for the City last month, I had to hold back!  We have so many incredible programs coming this fall that we are bursting at our tiny-library seams!

We have 97 programs (Event calendar) in September and October for every age group.  That’s a lot of programs!  Stop me on the street walking back with a hot coffee from BellHop Café, or picking up fresh fruit for our snacks program at Dot’s, and I will gladly gush about my staff and all of the programs we offer.  There seems to be something for everyone going on!

But I would be remiss if I didn’t introduce our new Youth and Teen Librarian Anthony Birchfield and talk about all of the programs event calendar he has been working on for the teens in the community. In library-land, “teen” means grades 6 and up, so whether you are looking for an after-school activity for your teen or pre-teen, an after-hours program where teens can hang out with other teens, or are looking for a regularly occurring club, we have it all!

Anthony comes to us after receiving his MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Science) from Kent State University.  He is also a part time pharmacy tech, so he is a busy guy!  His passion though is working with teens and providing fun programs that will appeal to this age group.  While his special interest is Pokémon, he is a very versatile guy! You will spot him presenting our Music and Movement program for littles as well!    We are so delighted he is with us!

Here’s just a small sample of what’s coming up for teens! 

Long requested Book Ends Book Club is a new teen focused book club.  Read what you’d like and come hang out with other bibliophiles.  This program is on the last Tuesday of the month.

Switch Saturday is another new program where teens can play their switch games with other teens, hang out, have snacks, and be in the library when it is closed!  How cool is that?

Penny Pinchers is a one-time program where teens can learn how to budget for an event.  This is an invaluable skill and really cool that the library is bringing this to teens!

Teen Service Project is BACK!  Each month throughout the school year, your teen can come do a simple project that we donate to a local charity.  The hour counts as a service hour too!

Looking forward, you can’t miss another one of our after-hours programs, a Wicked Party to celebrate the cinematic release of Wicked: For Good!  We are sure your teen will Defy Gravity and have a “Wicked Good” time (oops, my Boston accent slipped out)!

Of course we still have Craft Programs,  TAB and Dungeons and Dragons happening every month too!

We are striving to make the library a safe and welcoming space to this unique group, and we hope your teens will “Fall in Love” with your Winters-Bellbrook Community Library!!

Sue Jeffery

Head Librarian, Winters-Bellbrook Community Library

Summer Reading might be ending, but the library is here to keep the fun going all year long!  As your kids are heading to the classroom, remember the library can support your family with Tutoring on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 4-6.  We also provide snacks every day for those kids who come right from school to our tutoring program.

For the true bookworms or the bookworm wanna-bes, we have book clubs for every age an ability! You can find our extensive list here!

For kids in grade K-2, join Miss Abby for My First Book Club starting September 2^nd from 4-5PM to practice your reading and comprehension skills.  It’s a great way to extend what the kids are learning in school!

For grades 3-5, Miss Abby has Book Bites on Monday September 15^th from 6-7 pm.  This group really enjoys the supporting activities!

New this fall is patron-requested American Girl Doll Book Club for fans of American Girl Series in grades 3-6.  We can’t wait to see where this takes us.

We haven’t left out Teens!  Our NEW Book Ends Book Club meets on the last Tuesday from 6:30 and is genre based – meaning YOU pick the book on the genre theme and come hang out with our newest librarian, Mr. Anthony!  Their first genre is mysteries!

 

For adults, we have quite an impressive list with something for everyone.

Boos and Brews is our Horror Book Club that meets Jennifer at Bellbrook Brewery on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30.  The Book Club is free but refreshments are pay-as-you-go.

Tuesday Book Chat is for those readers who love variety as you explore different genres with Amanda.  They meet at the Library on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30.

Our Historical Fiction book club with Sue has two sittings!  The first is Book Chat at Bellhop Café on the third Wednesday at 1pm and refreshments are pay-as-you-go.  The second sitting, Historical Fiction Addiction, is that same evening (third Wednesday) at 6:30 at the library.

For the active adults, our Walk and Talk Book Club is the 4^th Wednesday from April through October and meets at Sweet Arrow Reserve at 6:30.  We walk with a naturalist from Bellbrook Sugarcreek Parks while discussing a variety of popular titles.

Finally, Food and Fiction is our collaboration with Greene County Council on Aging and is for our active adults 50+.  One the 4^th Thursday from 3-4 we meet at the Bellbrook Sugarcreek Parks District Headquarters and everyone brings a dish to share.  Registration for this book club is on the Parks’ website.

For all of our book clubs, register online for your choice of book group, then pick up a copy of the book at the Winters Library!  We can’t wait for you to join us!

Sue Jeffery

Head Librarian, Winters-Bellbrook Community Library

We hope you are getting as excited as we are for this year’s Summer Reading Kickoff Party in Bellbrock Park on May 31^st from 10-12.  Just as in past years, this event will have stations with many activities for the whole family including an exotic animal petting zoo with Jungle Island, games, our Police and Fire trucks, community partners and more surprises to come!  We will also have T-shirts with this year’s theme Color Your World and new art created just for Greene County Public Library.

Then stay tuned all summer! There is a program on our calendar for nearly every day from May 31^st through July 31^st.  We can’t wait for the SHARKS from Newport Aquarium, Creating with Clay with Carmen from Outside the Box Studio, plus Columbus Theatre, Painting with Sam or Cheryl, and fun with music, magic, and science!  Pick up a calendar at the Winters-Bellbrook Library, online, or call us with any questions!

Our grand finale is nearly a whole week long!  We have craft programs, our annual book sale with the Greene County Public Library Bookmobile, and on .July 31^st we have another big event at the Parks District Headquarters with a foam party!

Our summer fun is set, and all we need is YOU!  Join us for all of the fun at YOUR Winters-Bellbrook Community Library!

Sue Jeffery

Head Librarian, Winters-Bellbrook Community Library