Pelham Library

Pelham Picks Up! A Weeklong Community Clean-up Event
2026-04-20 - 2026-04-26 | Pelham Library, 2 South Valley Road , Pelham, MA, 01002, United States
The Pelham Library and Pelham Sustainability Committee invite you to a week-long effort to pick up roadside trash. Help make Pelham more attractive and safer for wildlife! Sign up at the library, school or the Pelham Spring Fair.

Choose a road convenient to you
Pick up litter during the week and dispose of it in your trash or recycling
Take pictures of the trash you collect and send them to us. We’ll create an album with the results!

TIPS: Wear bright colored clothing, gloves, a sunhat, bug spray & sunscreen and bring water. Watch out for poison ivy and ticks! Bring your friends!

BOOK GROUP: Demon Copperhead
2026-04-22 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
This month’s title is “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver. All are welcome and copies are available at the desk.

Intro to iNaturalist for the 2026 City Nature Challenge and Pelham's First BioBlitz!
2026-04-24 10:00 - 12:00
Did you ever wonder how many species live in Pelham? There are probably too many to count, but in collaboration with iNaturalist and UMass, we’re going to see how many we can find over4 days in April!
Started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities. This workshop, led by Melanie Radik of UMass, will introduce participants to iNaturalist and help you get started. Bring a smartphone or tablet with WIFI capability and the iNaturalist app installed. After an introduction in the Community Room, we’ll head outside and see what we can find right here on the library grounds.
The City Nature Challenge runs from April 24-27. You can learn more at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-western-mass All observations found in Pelham will be automatically added to the Pelham project (link to follow soon), and results shared with the community. Let’s get out there and explore!

R.U.S.H. (Rise Up Singing in Harmony): An Open Singing Circle
2026-04-25 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-23 14:00 - 16:00
Our free, open singing circle meets once a month in the Ramsdell room. Accompanied by at least one guitar, we sing requests out of the Rise Up Singing and Rise Again songbooks–and we have copies to share. Sometimes we bring snacks. Drop i or stay the whole time!

Shiitake Mushroom Growing Workshop
2026-04-28 17:00 - 18:30
Learn to grow delicious shiitake mushrooms with Elijah from Boulder Top Farm in Montague. Everyone will get to inoculate a log with spore and take it home. All materials will be provided. Space is very limited, so please sign up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/…/10C0D4EAAA72EA3FEC61…

This program will be held outside. The rain date is Tuesday, May 5. This program is for adults only.

Artist's Reception: Barbara Cooper
2026-05-02 12:00 - 14:00
Join Pelham artist Barbara Cooper for a reception for her exhibit, “April, 2025-May, 2026: A Retrospective”.
From the artist: “One year ago, last April, I was diagnosed with NSCAC – non small cell adeno carcinoma, a form of lung cancer that is most often found among non-smokers. I was told it is treatable, not curable. Last May, 2025, I began treatment as part of a clinical trial conducted by Dana
Farber Cancer Institute. This exhibit includes some of the art I made during that momentous year.
This retrospective journey begins with the two largest pieces: “Diagnosis” and “Crossroads.” The latter represents the beginning of treatment. The smaller works in this exhibit reflect my reactions
to the various emotional and physical ups and downs I experienced as treatments progressed, stalled, and changed course between April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026. Looking back, I am extremely grateful. I realize I am very fortunate to have come through this past year breathing better than I did in
April 2025. Thank you to all my family, friends, and medical providers for the best possible beginning of this journey.”

Jug Band Jam Session and Experimental Improvisation
2026-05-16 12:00 - 14:00
Join us for an experimental improvisation and Jug Band Jam! Bring instruments, sing, make noise, express yourself and let your light shine!

Wild Bees and Other Insects: The Pollination Heroes of the Vegetable Garden
2026-05-17 13:00 - 14:00
Come learn about pollinators with Heidi Dollard, co-chair of the Massachusetts Pollinator Network and learn how to address the biodiversity needs in your garden while increasing plant yields. The complex relationships between flowers and pollinators is both fascinating and essential for life on Earth.
NOTE: This event is NOT at the library. If it’s not raining, meet at the Pelham Community Garden near the Buffam Falls Conservation Area at the north end of Meetinghouse Road where Buffam, North Valley an Meetinghouse Roads come together. If it’s raining, meet at Pelham Community Hall, across the street from the library.
This event is co-sponsored with the Pelham Community Garden Committee.

Pelham Library Book Group: "The Cold Millions"
2026-05-27 19:00 - 21:00
This month’s title is “The Cold Millions” by Jess Walter. All are welcome and copies are available at the desk.

CLOSED: CHRISTMAS EVE
2026-12-24, 2027-12-24, 2028-12-24, 2029-12-24, 2030-12-24
To allow our staff to spend time with their families we will be closed this evening.

CLOSED: New Year's Day
2027-01-01, 2028-01-01, 2029-01-01, 2030-01-01, 2031-01-01
The Library will be CLOSED today. Happy New Year!
