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April 2026 |
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April is National Poetry Month and Earth Month, and we have lots of opportunities to celebrate! Learn about the mystery and genius of Emily Dickinson with a special guest author, and create your own lyrical masterpiece in the Youth Services Room. Or join us for an entertaining and thought-provoking film festival addressing climate change, and learn how to turn your lawn into a native, sustainable yardscape! If you're looking for a way to contribute to your community, we've got you covered - we're celebrating volunteerism all month long and highlighting ways to get involved.
If you haven't already, we would love for you to fill out our Community Survey. We're planning for the future of Dyer Library/Saco Museum and it's so important for us to hear feedback from as many directions as possible! You can find the survey onlinere here, and there are paper copies in our buildings as well. The survey is available until April 10th. Thank you!
P.S. Our Executive Director Sophie Smith has a new corner of the website where she'll share updates and behind-the-scenes information! Click here to hear the latest DLSM news, straight from the top. |
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Dyer Library/Saco Museum invites you to a celebration of Volunteerism in Saco! During the month of April, Saco Museum will host a special pop-up exhibit of volunteer opportunities throughout our city so that residents and visitors alike can learn about how to get involved.
The exhibit will run from April 7th to April 24th. |
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April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate, we'll be joined by Patricia Mulholland, author of "A Solitude of Space - Emily Dickinson: The Woman, The Poet" on Thursday, April 9th from 4:00-5:00PM.
Patricia will introduce her play, which will be staged in Portland in April in celebration of National Poetry Month, and will facilitate a discussion that will bring awareness to the genius and mystery of the beloved poet. Attendees will be invited to share favorite poems and poets, and a general appreciation of poetry. |
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Textile Tuesdays at Saco Museum |
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Beginning April 7th, join museum staff on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00-3:00PM on the second floor of the Saco Museum for a behind-the-scenes look at the "hidden" work of the museum. While much of our time is spent researching and designing exhibitions, the heart of our mission is the long-term care of the collection - a process currently in full swing with our textile rehousing project. Come learn how we document, stabilize, and store textile objects for future generations of researchers and museum visitors!
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Climate Future Film Festival |
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April is Earth Month, and we have a wonderful opportunity on Tuesday, April 14th at 5PM to view an important and entertaining collection of short films that address climate change. The Climate Future Film Festival encompasses ten films from four continents in two hours and gives expression to what we're feeling - hope and cynicism, climate denial and climate grief, rage and heartbreak, resilience and resolve - and offers paths toward empowerment and action. Author and co-founder of 350.org and Third Act, Bill McKibben opens the Festival in a videotaped introduction.
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The Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District offers free community workshops where attendees can learn more about implementing conservation landscaping practices in their own yard. Dyer Library is hosting YardScaping: From Lawns to Landscapes Workshop on Tuesday, April 28th from 5:00-7:00PM.
Learn how to swap your lawn and associated maintenance for pollinator gardens, vegetative buffers, edible landscapes, groundcovers, rain gardens, and other natural landscapes you can choose from to make your yard work for you. Bring a layout of your yard (drawings, satellite image, pictures) for free technical assistance from the instructor. Free site visits may also be available! Registration required. |
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Community Chamber Concert |
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We are delighted to welcome VentiCordi Chamber Music on Friday, April 17th from 3:00-4:00PM. Artistic Directors Kathleen McNerney and Dean Stein will present a free VentiCordi Community Concert, funded by a generous grant from the Margaret E Burnham Charitable Trust. This informal 45-minute concert for all ages will feature the music of Telemann, Richard Rodney Bennet, Maine composer Bill Matthews and finishes with Alan Ridout's musical version of the children's classic book "Ferdinand the Bull', followed by a Q & A session after the concert.
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Join us for a screening of the classic romantic comedy Desk Set (1957)! We'll meet on Monday, April 27th at 12:15pm to see it on the big screen in the Deering Room. We'll provide lemonade - please feel free to bring a lunch or snack to enjoy while watching the movie.
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Have you ever heard of a Death Cafe? It's a group-guided open conversation about death with no agenda, objectives, or themes. It's a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session. The objective is to increase the awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives. Join facilitator Leona Oceania from Die Well Death Education on Friday, April 24th from 12:30-2:00PM as she leads and keeps the conversation going (rarely necessary), answers questions, and corrects misinformation. Please visit the Events Calendar on our website to register.
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Whether you love to cook, love to eat, or just want to spark your culinary curiosity, join our Cookbook Club! We meet monthly to discuss and try recipes from different cookbooks and build community. Our next meeting will be on Saturday, April 25th from 11:30AM-12:30PM.
For our April meeting we're going vegetarian and will be sharing and discussing dishes from the Moosewood Cookbook (either the OG version from the 70s or any of the updates since). Please visit the event listing on our Events Calendar to register! |
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CERT Training Info Session |
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CERT volunteers help prepare our community for disasters, respond to incidents, and assist with recovery. The team is trained to help others following emergencies until professional responders arrive and to support the efforts of responders. Plus, CERT volunteers also organize and participate in preparedness education and outreach! The Saco Fire Department will be holding an information session at Saco Museum on Thursday, April 16th at 6:30 PM. Come to learn more about CERT and register for training!
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Evening Storytime |
First Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 pm | Children's Room |
Join us for a cozy evening story time in the Children’s Room! Enjoy interactive read-alouds, songs, rhymes, and early literacy activities designed to engage young minds. Pajamas encouraged!
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Dancing in the Library |
Tuesday, April 21st, 4:00-5:00 pm | Deering Room |
Get ready to move, groove, and shake it with Miss Jenn from Collective Motion Arts Center! She’ll lead a fun and energetic dance party for little ones, helping them learn basic dance steps through play and creativity. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers ready to wiggle and giggle! Ages 2-5, FREE with an accompanying adult. |
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Visit our full Events Calendar for more Programs |
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On Thursday, April 23rd from 6:00-8:00 PM join us for an all-ages Family Game Night! Play board games, puzzles, and enjoy pizza with new friends! Feel free to bring your own game or pick from our selection. Drop-in, no registration required.
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National Poetry Month in Youth Services |
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Stop by the Youth Services Room during the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month by adding to our “Poet-tree” or creating black out poetry! |
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April Showers Bring New Releases |
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Click on the book cover to be taken to its MINERVA listing, where you can request the book even before its release date, when possible!
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Yesteryear |
Caro Claire Burke |
A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister.
Releasing April 7. |
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The Ending Writes Itself |
Evelyn Clark |
From Evelyn Clarke, the brilliant creation of Cat Clarke and V.E. Schwab. Arthur Fletch, one of the world’s bestselling novelists, is a reclusive genius known for his iconic protagonists and fiendish twists. When six struggling authors are invited to spend a weekend on his private Scottish island, they arrive to discover a shocking secret: Arthur Fletch is dead... and his last book is unfinished.
Releasing April 7. |
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Small Town Girls |
Jayne Anne Phillips |
Tender, inviting, sparkling with wisdom and open-heartedness, Small Town Girls is part coming-of-age story, part social history, Jayne Anne Phillips’s most personal, most accessible book yet - a love letter to the place and the people who have shaped her perceptions and her writing.
Releasing April 21. |
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We Burned So Bright |
TJ Klune | A heart-wrenching standalone novel by bestselling author TJ Klune, We Burned So Bright follows an elder gay couple on an end-of-the-world road-trip.
Releasing April 28. |
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Celebrate National Library Week with us from April 19 - 25! Visit Dyer Library/Saco Museum, Scarborough Public Library, Libby Memorial Library in OOB, and McArthur Library in Biddeford to get your Library Week Passport stamped. Collect all four stamps and win a small prize! Be a library tourist and check out a book or program - your Dyer Library card works at all four participating libraries.
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Memorial Bricks |
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Honor a friend or family member with a dedication brick that benefits the Dyer Library and Saco Museum. Each brick can be fully customized with up to three lines engraved with your personal message, tribute, or simply the name of your loved one. Bricks are installed on the pathway to the Saco Museum and make a wonderful lasting gift! Brick orders are accepted through the month of April and are typically installed in mid-June to July depending on engraving time and weather conditions.
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Coming Next Month: Kate Flora |
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Attention lovers of true crime, police procedurals, and engaging thrillers! Maine author Kate Flora will be joining us in May for a special author event. |
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Unfortunately, our exterior Book Drop is no longer functional and we have to say goodbye. Our replacement book drop should be installed this month! In the meantime please return all items inside the library. Thank you for your cooperation! |
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Mon: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Tue: 9:30 am - 8 pm
Wed: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Thu: 9:30 am - 8 pm
Fri: 9:30 am - 5 pm
Sat: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Sun: Closed |
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Mon: Closed
Tue: noon - 4 pm
Wed: noon - 4 pm
Thu: noon - 8 pm
Fri: noon - 4 pm
Sat: 10 am - 4 pm
Sun: Closed |
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Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram! |
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Animal Hospital of Saco
Dirigo Federal Credit Union Reny's Charitable Foundation |
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Blue Elephant Catering
Paquin & Carroll Insurance University Credit Union |
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