06/18/2026
:
…and 40 Years Later Children’s Librarian Rochelle Retires…: It was the early 1980’s. Little did she know that when she started volunteering at the Meekins for children’s programs and storytelling and puppet shows and any and all kinds of activities, she would be retiring from her beloved library more than 40 years later. Rochelle became “official” in 1986 and has been at the heart of our community library for decades.
Join the Meekins on Saturday, June 20, 2026, for a day of stories, music, food and fun as we honor Rochelle and celebrate all she has given to the library, school, and community over these years.
Drop in, or stay all day, enjoy storytelling, listen to music, visit with Rochelle, munch a tasty treat, and join friends and neighbors on the lawn for lawn games and in the library for programs, for a day of fun dedicated to Rochelle.
10 ~ Storytelling with John Porcino in the Hawks~Hayden Room
11 ~ Jazz with Paul Arslanian and Wes Brown in the Hawks~Hayden Room
12 ~ 12:30 Words of Thanks and Presentation of Retirement Gift under the tent
Welcome: Joan Coryat, Trustee of the Meekins Library
Celebrating Rochelle:
Nye Family, 4 generations of library lovers
Lisa Wenner, former Library Director and Friend
Presentation of Retirement Gift: Bev Bullock, Library Director
Musical Tribute: Susan Farrell, Singer,
and Friends of the Meekins Library
12:30 to the end ~ Musical Moments, lawn games and visits with Rochelle
for the rest of the afternoon
So thank you Rochelle, for the countless hours of time with students in Anne T. Dunphy School, shaping life-long readers and library lovers; for all the stories and songs; for the dances, concerts, author readings, book group discussion, films and fun programs and activities over the years; for the books so carefully selected for the collection, and for tracking down and finding the perfect book picked out to share with patrons young and young at heart; for facilitating the tradition of exhibitions by local artists and craftspeople for the community; for Meekins’ own quirky exhibitions of aprons and hats and books and books and more books; for the poetry you brought to the Meekins; for every book shelved, shifted, moved at renovation time, carried in and out of that weekly bookmobile, and all the books reshelved; for climbing ladders, shoveling snow, rescuing visiting library critters. And for the welcoming you had for each and every library patron for 40 years—thank you!
Rochelle’s legacy: a generous colleague; a caring community member, and librarian extraordinaire. June 20th promises to be a glorious day. Come to Meekins to honor and celebrate Rochelle’s 40+ years of service. (There is still time to sign the special memory book, send a note to include in a scrapbook, or contribute to her gift.) Daria D’Arienzo, Meekins Archivist; ; .
