Archived Programs (2026)
Sub Zero
Science Presentation & Ice Cream
Friday, July 17
5 pm
(Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd.)
A fascinating science presentation that educates attendees using liquid nitrogen while making fresh and delicious ice cream to enjoy.
This hands-on program for kids of all ages explores the unique properties of liquid nitrogen and explains the laws of gasses. See the science... taste the ice cream!
Don't miss this unique event!
VINS: Birds are Dinosaurs
.jpg)
Wednesday, July 15
5 pm
(Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd.)
What did 65 million years of evolution turn the dinosaurs into? Birds!
Celebrating the summer reading theme “Unearth a Story," VINS is excited to introduce you to some live birds of prey and learn all about their dinosaur ancestry together.
We’ll explore the ways modern birds became masters of the air, and understand the immense timescale over which these dinosaur-descendants adapted!
Pajama Story Time
Thursday, July 9
6 pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Wear your pajamas, bring a stuffy, and join us for sleepy stories and lullabies with Miss Ashley!
Dinosaur Egg Craft
Tuesday, July 7
11 am
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Create and hatch dinosaur eggs with this fun craft!
History of the Hanover Town Library
Wednesday, July 1
5:30 - 7:30 pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
The Etna Library (officially named the ‘Hanover Town Library) was founded in 1898 as Hanover, NH's original public library, with its building constructed in 1905.
At this event, the library’s rich past will be celebrated with a self-guided history tour and free food and refreshments (using recipes popular in the early 1900s)!
Drop in anytime between 5:30 - 7:30pm, and let us transport you back to the early 1900s as you visit with neighbors and explore the Etna Library's 128-year history.
America's 250th Birthday
Bicycle Parade
Saturday, June 27
@9:30 am (start decorating your bike)
@10:30 am (parade begins)
(The Hanover Center Common, Parade Ground Rd.)
Adorn your bicycles (or tricycles, or scooters, or anything else with wheels) with the decorations provided.
Then, once your bike looks perfect, join everyone else with their decorated bikes for a parade!
After the parade, the library will have a craft table set up where you can create something cool!
Part of the Old Timer's Fair which will also include activities like games, ox pulling, a book sale, and a quilt show!
Dinosaur Walk
Thursday, June 25
@4 pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Create cool dinosaur feet and hats at the library and then wear them as we go on a Dinosaur Walk, reading a dino-themed story along the way.
Morphs & Milestones
Live Reptile Program
Tuesday, June 23
3pm
Please Note: This event will now be held at TRUMBULL HALL, 195 Etna Rd. (connected to the First Baptist Church)
Morphs & Milestones is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping reptiles, including them in educational events, and incorporating them into therapies for persons with special needs.
At this event, their knowledgeable staff will bring multiple reptilian ambassadors and offer hands-on learning opportunities to engage and inspire young minds.
Join us to see - and learn all about - some incredible creatures!
America's 250th Birthday
Chalk Art Contest
June 22 - 26
(During the Library's open hours)
Participate in a special 250th birthday version of the Etna Library’s annual Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest!
Come into the library for a supply of chalk and an assigned slab of sidewalk and then let your creativity run wild.
Gift card prizes will be awarded across multiple patriotic categories!
Summer Reading
Launch Party
Wednesday, June 17
3:30-6pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Celebrate the start of the Etna Library's Summer Reading Program with our Launch Party!
Kids can receive their Summer Reading Log (and become eligible to win amazing raffle prizes all summer long), and have fun at our crafts table.
We'll be giving out slices of pizza, dinosaur buttons, bookmarks, and a summer reading T-shirt, while supplies last!
E-Bike Lending Site
.jpeg)
May 28 - June 16
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Borrow from among four different adult-sized E-Bikes!
Stop by, call us (603-643-3116), or send us an email for more information.
This program is possible thanks to a collaboration with Vital Communities. More details on the E-Bike Lending Library available at the Vital Communities website.
National Donut Day
Friday, June 5
9am - 5pm (while supplies last)
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
For the fourth year in a row, the Etna Library will be celebrating the greatest holiday of them all: National Donut Day!
Stop by anytime from 9-5 (while supplies last) for donuts, donut holes, and some coffee, too.
Red, White, and Blue Window Craft
Tuesday, June 2
@3:30 pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Create your own red, white, and blue window craft to celebrate America’s 250th birthday!
We'll use black construction paper and colored tissue paper to create works of art that you can bring home with you.
All ages.
The Art of Debate
Wednesday, May 27
@6 pm
(The Etna Library, 130 Etna Rd.)
Learn about the elements of debate from Oliver Benedict, a member of Hanover High's Debate Club.
Oliver will talk about what it takes to successfully debate a topic and will lead a Q&A session.
Memorial Muster Day
.jpeg)
Monday, May 25
@3 pm
(Hanover Center Parade Ground & Cemetery)
(6 Parade Ground Rd, Etna)
Hanover's Muster Day has deep ties to history and to community and, for the first time, the Etna Library has the honor of overseeing this event.
The first Memorial "Muster" Day was held in 1961 and organized by Hanover Center resident and long-time Hanover High School educator, Lillian Kenison Bailey.
Her vision for Memorial Day was to create a community event that engaged youth and harkened back to the Muster Days of the early 19th century when the citizen military would gather (or "muster") on the Hanover Center Parade Ground to practice drills. At the end of that event, the participants, along with family and neighbors, would enjoy a dinner together.
This will be the 65th Muster Day celebration and will include free burritos, cookies, and ice cream; music by the Lyme Town Band; and special speakers!
For all ages. (Visit our full Muster Day page for more information.)
Apple Pie Festival
Saturday, May 23
1-3pm
Nothing is more American than apple pie, so join us at the Etna Library’s recently constructed gazebo as we host an Apple Pie Festival in celebration of the 250th birthday of the country!
Enjoy samples of delicious pies baked by the community (and please consider bringing a pie to share with others, too)!
This event will also include face painting and a 'Build Your Own Apple Pie' table for kids!
America's Birthday Story Walk
Sunday, May 3 - June 21
Stroll into the beautiful hills behind the Etna Library and enjoy a patriotic Story Walk. Read a story celebrating the birthday of our nation as you’re surrounded by nature.
The Story Walk can be experienced at any time, even while the library is closed.
What the Declaration of Independence
Offers U.S. Social Movements
%2C_by_John_Trumbull.jpg)
Wednesday, May 13
@6 pm
(Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd, connected to the First Baptist Church)
The Declaration of Independence acknowledges a most volatile right: the people's right to rebel. If the people are not happy with their government, then it is within their unalienable rights to "alter and abolish it."
In 1776, that right was exercised through armed rebellion. But is that the only way to exercise that right?
This talk by historian Meg Mott will consider how the language of the Declaration guides social movements, across the political spectrum, to institute a government that seems most likely to protect each other's unalienable rights.
Green Up Hanover Week:
Wind Chime Craft
Tuesday, April 21
@3:30 pm
April 19-25 is Green Up Hanover Week!
As part of the celebration, the Etna Library is hosting this special Wind Chime craft. Join us to make a beautiful wind chime out of recycled materials.
For all ages.
Bilingual Scavenger Hunt & Craft
Sunday, March 15
@10:30am
Let's explore the King Bird Sanctuary with a Spanish-English scavenger hunt for young adventurers!
We'll follow our short trek with a pinecone birdfeeder craft and hot cocoa at the library!
This event is a collaboration between the Etna Library and the Hanover Conservancy.
What's the History of Your House?
Wednesday, March 4
@6pm
Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd. (connected to the First Baptist Church)
The best thing about tracking down the history of a house is that your research subject usually stays in one place!
House history projects give us the opportunity to access local historical resources such as newspapers, deeds, city directories, and more. This avenue of research allows us to uncover architecture, neighborhoods, and people of the past.
Join author and historian Erin Moulton as we track the records of a Masonic Lodge and delve into the history that is underfoot each day.
This presentation is supported in part by NH Humanities.
Winter Wonderland Walk
Saturday, February 28
6 - 7:30pm
Did you enjoy the library's Haunted Story Walk in October? Then you'll love our Winter Wonderland Walk!
The library's Story Walk will be decorated with wintry lights and decorations. Grab a flashlight and some glowsticks from the welcome desk and then head into the snowy hills, reading a winter-themed Story Walk tale along your way.
The library's new gazebo will be our Hot Chocolate Center, and home baked treats will be handed out inside the library!
-
For all ages.
-
Microspikes and ice cleats available to borrow, in case conditions are slippery.
-
Flashlights will be available, but please bring extras, if you can!
[Start your Winter Wonderland Walk anytime between 6 and 7:15pm.]
[Parking in the library's lot will be very limited. Additional parking can be found behind the Etna Fire Station. Please car pool, if possible - thank you!]
Love My Library Fundraiser
February 4 -25
Consider supporting your local library! Our 'Love Your Library' fundraiser is one of two fundraisers we generally hold each year. All proceeds support the Etna Library.
Our long table is covered in books that you can donate into the library's collection. When you donate a book, we'll add a bookplate to its inside front cover. This bookplate can be in honor of a loved one, or have any other message you'd like.
We hope you'll stop by this month to show some library love!
Greenland: A Place and Its People
Tuesday, February 24
@2pm
Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd. (connected to the First Baptist Church)
The Greenland Advocate organization has a mission to share information about Greenland - the country, its people, and its future.
Come join us for a presentation that will include discussions of how global warming is affecting the Arctic, spectacular images of places and people, amazing facts, and an introduction to the Inuit people who live on the largest island in the world – Greenland!
Take-Home Valentine's Card Kits
Starting Thursday, February 5
(while supplies last)
Stop by the library and pick up everything that you need to make amazing cards for Valentine's Day!
Comics in World History and Cultures
.jpeg)
Wednesday, January 28
@ 6pm
Trumbull Hall, 195 Etna Rd. (connected to the First Baptist Church)
Marek Bennett presents a whirlwind survey of comics from around the world and throughout history, with special attention to what these vibrant narratives tell (and show) us about the people and periods that created them.
Bennett engages and involves the audience in an interactive discussion of several sample comics representing cultures such as Ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, the Ancient Maya, Feudal and modern Japan, the United States in the early 20th century, and Nazi Germany during World War II.
This event is funded in part by NH Humanities.
Blood Pressure Education Event
Friday, January 16
from 1-4pm
The Etna Library, through a partnership with the American Heart Association, now has equipment for patrons to check their blood pressure.
To further this initiative, local resident Liz Morrow, Primary Care Pharmacist at DHMC, will be at the library to offer blood pressure education support.
Drop by to see Liz anytime between 1-4pm and she can answer questions about how to lower, and how to correctly monitor, your blood pressure. She'll also have free resources available, including medication pillboxes, wallet sized medication lists, and magnifiers.