Happy holidays! SPL will close early on Christmas Eve, Tues. 12/24, and New Year’s Eve, Tues. 12/31. We’ll be open both days from 10am to 1pm. Christmas and New Year’s both fall on Wednesdays, when we happen to be closed anyway. Library hours are otherwise unchanged over the holidays.
No power means no lights and no heat at SPL. We hate to close for any reason, and we hope it’s not long until we have power and we can reopen our doors. Stay safe and warm!
We have several programs in the works for the deep of winter when we could all use an excuse to get out of the house. We plan to build the schedules and tailor the content around those who want to participate. All we’re asking for right now is to tell us you’re interested—there’s no commitment. Have a look below at what we’re cooking up, and then sign up to learn more about any that strike your fancy.
What If We Get It Right? is a four-part public conversation series on visions of climate futures based around the book of the same name by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Hosted by SPL and Linda Nelson, Stonington Economic & Community Development Director. Ideally for readers ages 14 & up.
Grab your pencils and sharpen your minds. The key to becoming a better solver is not knowing lots of trivia BUT in training your mind to stay flexible when solving. Don’t get boxed in, think outside the box! Ideally for solvers ages 14 & up.
Chris Ross is obsessed with word games. Yes, he solves Wordle and Connections and Spelling Bee every day, and he’s completed the New York Times crossword for 2,531 consecutive days and counting. He loves the challenge of puzzles that bend his brain and lives for the AHA! moment when everything falls into place.
Chris will lead a mini workshop at WinterFest 2025 for anyone who wants a taste before signing up for the multi-session workshop and diving in head first.
Do you have a knack for design, math, art, or Dungeons & Dragons? Then join Jordan in making your very own board game this winter. By the end of the workshop, you will have a game that you can take home and force your friends and family to play! All ages.
Jordan Ramsey is an active member of the board game community of Deer Isle. He volunteers at the Deer Isle-Stonington After School Program and leads board game afternoons at the Island Community Center on Sunday afternoons. He has also created a handful of his own games that he and his friends playtest once a month.
You can meet Jordan and play board games with him at WinterFest 2025.
A two-part discussion of a graphic novel for reluctant readers of the “genre.” There’s more to comics than meets the eye. Join Molly to learn the language of comics and find your way into this diverse art form. Title(s) for discussion will be chosen to match the reading interests of participants. Ideally for readers ages 14 & up.
Molly Gotwals is a retired English teacher who taught graphic novels in high school for several years, and she is now a year-round Stonington resident. Molly led an SPL workshop each of the past two summers in which participants created their own graphic stories.
Thanks to everyone who loves SPL and, more generally, libraries! We raised $5,505 to benefit Stonington Public Library in our fourth annual Labor Day raffle. The raffle’s success, featuring two grand prizes, exceeded our wildest expectations. You all made this success possible and ensured a win—the biggest win!—for our island community with your support for SPL.
Congratulations to Carole and Marie-Noelle! They are the grand prize winners of the Andrea Kostelak American flag quilt and Jill Hoy plein air oil painting, respectively, in the SPL Labor Day raffle. We also drew winners for 5 SPL totes and 5 SPL t-shirts; winners can choose any color, size, or design. All winning ticket numbers are listed below.
So many people pitched in to make the raffle a resounding success. First and foremost, thank you to Jill Hoy and Andrea Kostelak for their generous donations. Andrea’s heartfelt quilted wall hanging in memory of her father-in-law and Jill’s iconic painting of Stonington Harbor made it easy to sell tickets. Thank you to SPL volunteers who spent many hours selling tickets at the Stonington Farmers’ Market and on the library porch. And thank you to Wylie, Barbara, and Pat for taking time out of their day on Labor Day to help with the raffle drawing. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to draw the winning tickets than Wylie!
866504 Carole
866185 Marie-Noelle
866009 Nancy
866376 Al
866583 Carolyn
866578 Heidi
866048 Lisa
866204 Ezra
866426 Phillips
866172 Joan
866642 Chris
866132 Stephen
Enter to win in SPL’s fourth annual Labor Day raffle! This year we’re offering two grand prizes thanks to generous, heartfelt donations from Jill Hoy and Andrea Kostelak. All it takes is one ticket to win BIG! Purchase your tickets at the bottom of the page.
The live drawing will be held on Monday, September 2, 11am EDT via Zoom.
There’s only one way to win: get your tickets! It costs $10 to enter one grand prize drawing of your choice—get one free ticket for every 5 you purchase.
Andrea Kostelak’s father-in-law was a WWII veteran and had a lot of pride in his country. When he passed away in 2020 at the start of the COVID pandemic, Andrea gathered fabrics from family belongings and pieced together this quilt in honor of his life and service. She made a similar lap quilt for her mother-in-law. “Stonington 2024″ embroidered on the back with small hoops attached for wall hanging. The quilt measures 30.5″ (width) by 20.5” (height).
Working with the particular qualities of Maine light has long been a primary focus of Stonington resident Jill Hoy’s plein air oil paintings. Known for strong composition, energy, and power of place, Jill first came to Deer Isle at age 10 and has operated her gallery since 1986. View of Stonington Harbor from Granite Street is an iconic panorama with lupines in the foreground and Isle au Haut in the background. The painting measures 30″ (width) x 24″ (height).
Shipping not included with the prizes. SPL can hold the prizes for pick up or help arrange shipping at cost.
Ticket sales for SPL’s fourth annual Labor Day raffle have ended. Join us on Zoom today, Monday, September 2, at 11am for the live drawing.
