Smyth Public Library

05/24/2026

In honor of America’s 250th Celebration

Tuesday, June 30 at 6:30 pm
"Three Men and a One-Shilling Knife: A Genealogical Look at Local History"

Presented by Angela J. Harris

Presented by the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists (NHSOG), this engaging program uses a dramatic 1788 tavern killing in New Durham to show how genealogists uncover the stories from the past. Through newspapers, court records, military records, petitions, and other original sources, the lecture follows the intertwined lives of three Revolutionary War veterans and reveals how family history research can illuminate the people, events, and communities of New Hampshire’s past.

Speaker Information:

Angela J. Harris, CG®, PLCGS is a board-certified professional genealogist and lecturer who specializes in forensic genealogy with a focus on probate research and family reconstruction. Her work has included complex traditional and forensic cases from New England, the Midwestern US, Canada, Mexico, and Italy. Angela serves as Director-at-Large of NHSOG and is honored to be its delegate to the National Genealogical Society. She also serves as Secretary for the New England Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and the APG Forensic Special Interest Group. When she’s not climbing someone’s family tree, Angela enjoys cooking, knitting, and teasing her husband.

Sign up at the front desk, limited spots

05/24/2026

Smyth Public Library will present the 15th annual FREE Summer Concert Series on seven Wednesdays along with a 250thCelebration event on June 30. The series is held at the Candia Pond Park gazebo, behind the library at 55 High Street, and will be canceled if it rains. The concerts run from 6:30-8pm. Bring a chair or blanket for seating. Ice cream will be free for summer reading participants. Call the library at 483-8245 for updates, or watch our Music page at www.smythpl.org.


June 30- 250th Celebration-Three Men &a One-Shilling Knife Presented by the New Hampshire Society of Genealogists, this engaging program uses a dramatic 1788 tavern killing in New Durham to show how genealogists uncover the stories from the past. Through newspapers, court records, military records, petitions, and other original sources, the lecture follows the intertwined lives of three Revolutionary War veterans and reveals how family history research can illuminate the people, events, and communities of New Hampshire’s past.

July 1- Kyle Carey Gaelic Music, a unique fusion of Appalachian and Celtic music she likes to call ‘Gaelic Americana’. Having learned Scottish Gaelic to the point of fluency–Kyle’s music is an expression and exploration of Appalachia’s Celtic roots. Many critics have likened her to being a mix of Loreena McKennitt and Alison Krauss. Kyle has released four full-length albums.

July 8- Low Stakes, Ann Holbrook, Candia resident along with Eric Colville, award-winning singer-songwriter together play original, Americana-style music: acoustic guitar backing with harmonies on melodic songs with a mix of up-tempo and fun songs, along with slower contemplative tunes and some familiar popular covers like Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.

July 15- Nicole Murphy, Candia native and solo cover artist who sings new and old country music, originals, and classic rock. Even though she works alone on stage, her sound feels like she is a full band. She is a multi-award winning singer/songwriter and has touched the hearts of many people. Nicole was named 2017 NH CMA Songwriter of the Year, and was awarded the 2017 NH CMA Album of the Year. (Sponsored by Candia Garden Club)

July 22- Granite Planet , Granite Planet is a retro cover band featuring music from the 60’s to today, with a focus on the 80’s. Their diverse playlist includes rock, pop, dance/disco, today’s country & a bit of blues. Most of their songs are upbeat and high energy – you’ll want to get up and dance! While the majority of their covers are true to the originals we all know and love, a few are based on more recent versions. The addition of various unique covers helps to make GRANITE PLANET stand out among run-of-the-mill cover bands.
July 29-Windham Swing Band , An 18-piece big band with saxophones, trombones, trumpets, bass, percussion and vocalist. The Windham Swing Band plays music from the Big Band Era to the present, featuring many familiar standards such as “Sing, Sing, Sing,” and “In the Mood.” Its ballroom dance repertoire ranges from swing, waltz, and foxtrot to cha-cha, mambo, samba, rumba, and hustle.

August 5- Freese Brothers Big Band, a 20+ piece Big Band celebrating the Swing Era and the Great American Songbook. You will hear the Count, the King, the Duke, the Chairman and the Sentimental Gentleman of Swing. Yes – Basie, Goodman, Ellington, Sinatra and Dorsey, along with updated arrangements of classic hits from Michael Buble and others.

August 12- Bedford Big Band, a 20+ piece Big Band performing at events ranging from casual to black tie. From outdoor concerts to elegant dinner dances, fund raisers, weddings and anniversary parties — they do it all! Fun and stylish, truly everyone loves Swing and Big Band music! The band’s repertoire includes many of your favorite jazz and Big Band standards, Latin rhythms, waltzes, R&B, as well as some exciting contemporary arrangements that you’re sure to enjoy.

Home !!Free Covid Home Tests Kits!! We Are Open and Can’t Wait To See You! Monday: 2:00 pm-8:00pm Tuesday: 10:00 am- 8:00 pm Wednesday: 2:00 pm-8:00pm Thursday: 10:00 am- 8:00 pm Friday: 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am- 2:00 pm OPEN Sundays: 1-3 pm ...

05/24/2026

FREE Summer Concert Series

Wednesdays at the Candia Pond Park gazebo. Events start at 6:30pm. Bring a chair or blanket for seating. Ice cream will be free for summer reading participants..
*July 1- Kyle Carey Gaelic Music *July 8- Low Stakes *July 15- Nicole Murphy *
July 22- Granite Planet *July 29-Windham Swing Band *August 5- Freese Brothers Big Band**August 12- Bedford Big Band

05/24/2026

This program was canceled by presenters due to not enough people signed up.

Thursday, May 28 at 6 pm
"Connect the Dots"



Connect the Dots with retired N.H. Chief Justice John T. Broderick, Jr., and Jeff Levin, of Jeff Levin Coaching
Our "Connecting the Dots" program describes what life is like for kids today and explains the global, societal reasons why people are so stressed and anxious, the emotional skills so many kids haven't learned, and what kids and adults can do to reverse those changes. Parents begin to understand that they aren't alone and it is not their fault. Examples are given of simple, common-sense solutions any parent can install to help their child to feel better. This program is for parents, caregivers, grandparents but also anyone who wants to help and to better understand what young people are going through.
Please bring your teenager or pre-teen. It is sure to be a very helpful program.

04/30/2026

Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30 pm
AI Class with Life Coach, Ellie Hyvonen
Has AI stolen your ability to write? Come reclaim the lost art of story writing.

04/06/2026

Readers meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month

Please join us, April 15 ~ 6 pm

This Month’s Selection:
The Bluest Eye

The Bluest Eye

By Toni Morrison

Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison's virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing.

03/16/2026

April 28- Tuesday 6 pm Earth Day Celebration: Our Amazing Butterflies & Pollinators!

Audiences will see wonderful slides of our local butterflies, presented by Jerry Schneider, creator of the award winning Butterfly Game. Audiences will answer questions such as: How can we attract more butterflies to our back yards? What are some ways we can conserve butterfly habitat? What does a good butterfly garden look like? When, how, and why do Monarch butterflies go to Mexico? In addition to answering these questions, we will learn interesting butterfly characteristics (did you know that butterflies taste with their feet?)
Jerry brings displays of butterflies and moths, cocoons, and sometimes caterpillars. The second half of the program is a wonderful tee shirt craft. Gildan tee shirts are $5.00, or bring your own.



(Presenter info) – Jerry Schneider, inventor of the award winning Butterfly Game, has presented nature programs in schools and libraries for the past thirteen years throughout the Eastern US. His programs help inspire youth and adults alike, to pay more attention to our friends, the butterflies, bees, bats, and other pollinators. Audiences learn how to create and maintain pollinator habitat. In recent years, a number of schools have built butterfly gardens on the Monarch’s migration path. In Vermont, legislators are working on a bill to help protect bees.
Mr. Schneider, a former teacher and children’s librarian, invented The Butterfly Game in 2001. It received a Parents Publication Award in 2004. Jerry was a steering committee member of the Vermont Butterfly Atlas Project, a 5 year study of butterfly populations in Vermont.Tee shirt craft follows the slide show. Length: 50 minutes.

03/16/2026

Readers meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month

Please join us, March 18 ~ 6 pm

This Month’s Selection:

The Innocents: A Novel

The Innocents

By Michael Crummey

A brother and sister are orphaned in an isolated cove on Newfoundland's northern coastline. Their home is a stretch of rocky shore governed by the feral ocean, by a relentless pendulum of abundance and murderous scarcity. Still children with only the barest notion of the outside world, they have nothing but the family's boat and the little knowledge passed on haphazardly by their mother and father to keep them.

Muddling through the severe round of the seasons, through years of meagre catches and storms and ravaging illness, it is their fierce loyalty to each other that motivates and sustains them. But as seasons pass and they wade deeper into the mystery of their own natures, even that loyalty will be tested.

The Innocents is richly imagined and compulsively readable, a riveting story of hardship and survival, and an unflinching exploration of the bond between brother and sister. By turns electrifying and heartbreaking, it is a testament to the bounty and barbarity of the world, to the wonders and strangeness of our individual selves.

03/16/2026

Thursday, March 19th at 6 pm
“How to: Contact your NH Representative”
Presented by Judi Lindsey

Come discover how you can become a more engaged citizen participating in the critical process to make your voice heard.
As you reflect on the issues facing your family, town, state, and country, this program can help you learn how to find and contact your elected leaders and officials.
Additionally, Judi will be presenting a summary of how bills are created, how they move through the legislative process, and who decides if they pass or fail.

03/16/2026

Tuesday, March 24th at 7 pm
Tods, Vixens, Pups & Kits: Fun Facts about the Fabulous Fox
With Willamina T. Coroka, of The Magpie’s Apprentice

Did you know that there are four different species of foxes found here in North America? How
about their various vocalizations or that they come in more colors than rusty red and snow white? In
this exciting program we'll explore the curiously cat-like member of the dog family before learning
how to mimic a few of their fascinating features. You might be walking, barking, or diving like a fox
before the presentation is through!

Willa Coroka (C as in “cinnamon”) is a nature gal, her heart at its fullest while flitting through the
New England forests amidst the hemlocks, birches and pines. Willa graduated with her MS in
Environmental Studies in 2015 after several years of seasonal jobs that took her from the coast of
Chile to the mountains of Andalucia and myriad locations in between. Her deep commitment for
preserving wild spaces and knack for evoking excitement in people’s perception of the natural world
led her to create The Magpie’s Apprentice, a learning platform offering eco-centered lectures,
presentations, and workshops. Willa’s spare time is spent propagating plants, designing curriculum,
hiking, traveling, reading, and spying on birds.