Zoé Vallé Memorial Library

10/08/2026

This sounds wonderful.

Join our host Liz Crocker as she sits down in conversation with award-winning author Donna Morrissey to discuss her newly released memoir Tell It to the Water.

Donna’s memoir of her father’s approaching death is a raucous hymn to family life–the ties that enthral, enrage and bind you, if only in your heart, to the place that will always be home because it’s where Mom and Dad set your wobbly feet on the ground.

Among Donna’s writing honours are the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Fiction for The Fortunate Brother; Sylvanus Now was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize; and The Deception of Livvy Higgs was a One Read pick for Nova Scotia in 2017.

We are thrilled to welcome Donna to the Chester Playhouse once again, and hope you can join us for what is bound to be a heartfelt, entertaining afternoon.

🗓️ Sunday Nov 22 @ 2PM

For more information and to purchase your tickets for either in-person or live-stream, please visit chesterplayhouse.ca 🎟️

10/08/2026

WRITERS' GROUP??? Are you interested in joining an adult writers’ group hosted at the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library? Please email [email protected] to tell us!

10/06/2026

You know her , you love her. Please come by the ZVL Wednesday October 7th to say good bye to dear Crystal on her last shift.
Coffee and cake will be served ❤️📚🍁 from 1-4 pm

10/06/2026

Please plan on attending this wonderful informative presentation by Syd Dumaresq.A great speaker and an advocate for preserving nature and supporting community projects.
We are all eager to hear about their travels through the North West Passage.

10/02/2026

We are particularly proud of this photo. Shown in this photo are descendants of the original families who created the Library. Sidney Spahr, John Fowke, Libby Hill, our guest speak Syd Dumaresq, Liz Finney, Stewart Spahr, Jim Grove. Behind is Mrs. Hill’s granddaughter Ciara. Missing from the pic but in attendance is Trish Nauss Connors.
What an honour to have them in attendance. When next you walk into the library take note of the portraits on the left and they are the parents and grandparents and great grandparents of our guests.
Thanks for tuning in this week. We really appreciate your visiting the page. Be sure to follow if you are not already.

Photo credit Jim Barkhouse

https://zoevallelibrary.ca/

10/01/2026

A great friend to the Zoé Vallé Library is Oscar Anderson Short. You may remember that Oscar played tunes at the Grand Opening of SSPL on another beautiful summer day, he also played at our August gathering. What a talent, and a varied repertoire. His last song was a Dolly Parton hit, she had just died the day before and there was no bigger friend to libraries than Dolly ❤️ Thanks Oscar - see you next year!

09/30/2026

The highlight of our August gathering was architect, lover of history and friend to all - Syd Dumaresq. Syd entranced his listeners and took us on a little trip through one hundred years of Chester history. In his hand is one of Zoé Vallé’s personal books, he brought her to life and transported his audience to another time. What a raconteur extraordinaire! Thank you Syd for being such a great supporter of the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library.

09/29/2026

This includes Chester.. we are closed tomorrow. See you on Thursday (10-7).

All of our locations will be closed this Wednesday, September 30, in recognition of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

09/29/2026

As part of our Zoé Vallé Memorial Library celebration in August, we were honoured to have Sandy Dumaresq read the account of the Grand Opening Garden Party which took place in September 1928 on a Friday afternoon. Dr. Hibben presided, he was a Presbyterian Minister who served as the President of Princeton University from 1912-1932. We are fortunate to have the original Progress Enterprise newspaper from that day nearly 100 years ago hung up at the Library for all to see. Descendants of many folks at that original celebration were in attendance at the gathering and Sandy did a magical reading which wove together present and past and reminded us of the generations who made the library so special to Chester. Thank you, Sandy.