The Guernsey Memorial Library has plenty of fun activities planned for the summer. Stop by the park behind the library every Wednesday at dusk for a free movie screening, or pick up a passport and join the Four County Library System Road Trip. Kids can enjoy the summer reading program, attend a visit from the Bubble Man or a magic show, listen to a book reading at Story Hour, and so much more. (Photo by Sarah Genter)

NORWICH — The ninth year of Movies Under the Stars hosted by Guernsey Memorial Library begins Wednesday, July 5.

Every Wednesday through July and August, Guernsey Library will host a free family-friendly movie outside in the Guernsey Memorial Library Park, located behind the library at 3 Court Street in Norwich, beginning at dusk, usually around 8:30 p.m.

Free popcorn will also be available, as well as some seating at picnic tables in the park, and access to the Guernsey Library restrooms will be available. Visitors should bring their own beverages, and chairs or blankets to sit on if they wish.

In the event of inclement weather, movies will be held in the Guernsey Memorial Library Meeting Room.

"We have a giant blow-up screen that we put on the little back patio of the library, and then we have a projector," said Guernsey Memorial Library Director Connie Dalrymple. "Everybody sits out on the little berm right there, and we have popcorn on the side."

This year's schedule of movies begins with "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" on July 5, followed by "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" on July 12, "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" on July 19, "Top Gun: Maverick" on July 26, "DC League of Super-Pets" on August 2, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" on August 9, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" on August 16, "80 for Brady" on August 23, and "Strange World" on August 30.

Chenango County community members got involved on the movie selection with a survey posted by Guernsey earlier this summer.

"Usually I go through the publisher catalog first and just see what has come out in the past year that has gotten good reviews and looks good for general audiences," Dalrymple explained. "Then I put a list of possible choices and people can rate those and they can also write in their own choices."

In addition to the start of the movie season, Guernsey Memorial Library also has several other fun events scheduled all summer long.

The kids' summer reading program begins soon, and features bingo cards with different book themes in each space. Participating kids can mark off spaces as they read books following the themes to earn a bingo.

To sign up for the summer reading program, visit the Guernsey Memorial Library front desk.

Local readers can also participate in the Four County Library System Road Trip, where participants are encouraged to visit any or all of the 40-plus libraries in the Four County Library System. To begin, participants can visit their local library to get a passport and start their journey.

"People go to the library, get their passport stamped, and can win prizes and just learn about the area and learn about the libraries," said Dalrymple. "See the countryside and see what people have got going on in their communities."

"It’s really popular," she added. "Some libraries experience like 50 more people a day in the library when the road trip is going on. So it’s even more popular than you would think."

The Road Trip began on July 1, and runs through the entire summer until September 2.

Plus, cardholders for any library in the Four County Library System can check out books from any library they visit throughout the Road Trip.

"If you happen to be there and see something that really grabs you on the shelf, you can take it out there at whatever library you’re at, and return it at your home library," said Dalrymple. "We send it through the library delivery back to the library again. So people don’t even need to let that stop them from taking things out."

This month, Guernsey Memorial Library will also be hosting magic shows, adult crafts, kids' Story Hour and arts and crafts, improv workshops, Book Lovers Club, a visit from the Bubble Man, and so much more. A full calendar of events can be found at GuernseyMemorialLibrary.org or the Guernsey Memorial Library Facebook page.

The Guernsey Memorial Library will be closed from Thursday, July 6 through Tuesday, July 11 for construction. However, the Meeting Room will still be open to the public for scheduled meetings and programs.

For more information on Guernsey Memorial Library and their upcoming programs, visit GuernseyMemorialLibrary.org or the Guernsey Memorial Library Facebook page.