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Read to Dante, our local cuddly therapy dog! Trained therapy dogs provide warm and non-judgmental reading companions for new or experienced readers up to age 14. Registration for each 15-minute time slot is required and begins on Wednesday, October 8 by calling or visiting the Valente Branch (617-349-4015). The City of Cambridge does not discriminate, including on the basis of disability. We may provide auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures to people with disabilities. For more information contact us at library@cambridgema.gov, 617-349-4032 (voice), or via relay at 711

Join local author Clare Walker Leslie (How to Look at a Bird, Keeping a Nature Journal) to learn how to draw Cambridge birds! Participants will discuss birds local to Cambridge, learn how to draw the birds they see every day, and leave the program with their own finished bird drawing. All drawing and reference materials will be provided and all skill levels are welcome, no previous drawing experience required. If you don't think you can draw a bird, that's okay - this event will show you that you can! Registration is required for this program. This program is suggested for participants ages 8 and up.

When choosing native plants, you have to ask the right questions to get the best results. Kim Eierman will help you sort out the mysteries and complexities of native plant selection including: Am I buying a genetic clone, and does it matter? What are local ecotypes and where can I buy them? Are native cultivars ok? Are dwarf nativars ecologically-useful? What’s the tradeoff with double flowers? Which native plants require pollination partners (i.e. are dioecious) and how do I source them? What are the pros and cons of planting native seeds vs. live plants? Get the answers you need to make your native landscape both beautiful and eco-beneficial. This is event is cosponsored by the Cambridge Public Library. Kim Eierman is the Founder of EcoBeneficial LLC and author of The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening. She is an ecological landscape designer and environmental horticulturist specializing in native plants. Based in New York, Kim teaches at the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanic Garden and is a Steering Committee member of The Native Plant Center. Visit Grow Native.

The City of Cambridge announced a new Restaurant and Nightlife Relief Grant program today which will award $2,500,000 to eligible Cambridge venues. These grants, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), will provide relief to local, non-franchise cafes, restaurants, and entertainment venues (e.g. movie theaters, performance venues, galleries) heavily impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants and entertainment venues citywide will be able to apply for grant awards of $10,000 for allowable business expenses such as payroll, rent, personal protective equipment, utilities, goods and equipment, and outdoor dining infrastructure. Applications will be accepted from February 3-28, 2022 at 8:00 p.m.

Join us for activities celebrating the theme of "Plant a Seed, Read" all summer long. Today's activity is bird and bug suncatchers. Explore color, light and creativity as you design a suncatcher to look like a stained-glass window. We will use colored tissue paper to fill frames shaped like birds, butterflies and dragonflies. Hang the finished masterpiece in a window to watch the sun transform it into a glowing display of color. Recommended for children ages 6-12 and their caregivers. July 7 - Tissue Paper Flowers July 14 - Bird and Bug Suncatchers July 21 - no activity on this date July 28 - Perler Bead Plants August 4 - Paint by Sticker August 11 - Origami Peace Cranes

Come to the Library to create something special! Use your own supplies or try out our equipment! You can use our 1-inch button maker, 2.5 inch button maker, 3-D Doodle pens, or Janome sewing machines. The Library will provide basic supplies. *This month you are invited to join in a community sewing circle to help create a Moth Banner. Learn more here: https://cambridgepl.libcal.com/event/16984382 This drop-in program is for people who feel comfortable using these machines on their own. The Library will not provide instruction. Anyone wishing to use the sewing machines must have completed a Sewing 101 training through the Library. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options which may include: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong. Registration is required. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops. Wednesday, March 5 Wednesday, March 12 Wednesday, March 19 Wednesday, March 26 This workshop is designed for patrons who know the basics of how to use our Janome sewing machines.

Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options which may include: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong. Registration is required. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops. Wednesday, March 5 Wednesday, March 12 Wednesday, March 19 Wednesday, March 26 This workshop is designed for patrons who know the basics of how to use our Janome sewing machines.

Continue building your machine-sewing skills AND create bespoke sewn crafts! Design your own fiber arts adventure as you choose from a menu of options which may include: bento bag, fleece hat, fleece mittens, work belt, earbud case and fanny pack. This four-part series is led by fiber artist and designer Lenni Armstrong. Registration is required. Those registered for the first session will automatically be enrolled in the following weeks. Spots are very limited; kindly only enroll if you plan to make all four workshops. Wednesday, March 5 Wednesday, March 12 Wednesday, March 19 Wednesday, March 26 This workshop is designed for patrons who know the basics of how to use our Janome sewing machines.

Curbside collection of trash, recycling, compost, and yard waste will be suspended on Thursday, November 24 and will be one day behind schedule the rest of the week. Street cleaning will be suspended on both Thursday and Friday November 24-25. Streets that would have normally been swept on Thursday, November 24 will be made up on November 29, and streets that would have normally been swept on Friday, November 25 will be made up on November 30. The CIC Health COVID-19 test site at 295 Third Street will close on Wednesday, November 23 at 12 p.m. and will remain closed November 24-26. Testing will resume as normal on Sunday, November 27.