After-School Activities Program (A.S.A.P.)
There is an After-School Activity Program at Bancroft Public Library. Each weekday from 2:30 pm until 4:00 pm Bancroft offers kids the chance to come and hang out at the library! The after-school activity program gears activities to kids ages 9 – 14 years. Younger children are welcome to come with an adult in attendance. Activities include art and crafts, technology, games, lego club, and more! See calendar below for an idea of what things happen each week. Note: daily program may change due to unforeseen circumstances.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Reading
| Date | Wednesday, December 17, 2025 |
| Time | 10:30 am |
| Description | Lori Stokem returns this holiday season with a grinchy glint to her eye…that’s because she will read How the Grinch Stole Christmas! at the library! Program will take place during the regularly scheduled story time, but all ages are welcome! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | No registration |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
DEMCO Sticker Board – Community Event
| Date | Throughout December |
| Time | Library Hours |
| Description | What is a DEMCO sticker board? This large-scale collaborative mosaic project is where participants place small, color-coded stickers on a grid to reveal a larger image. These projects foster community, teamwork, fine motor skills, and a sense of shared accomplishment! Each time you come into the library feel free to add a few stickers to the board! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | no registration |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
StoryWalk: The Little Book of Joy
| Date | All of December |
| Time | Library Hours |
| Description | December can be a dark time of year, so this season, we thought, “Let’s add some light and color to our community!” Bancroft Library will host a StoryWalk around the building with The Little Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu. After reading the pages outside in the courtyard and around the building, participants can come inside and decorate the rainbow window with streamers and an origami project. We hope you can help light up our community this year and you’ll find some joy to carry with you! The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson. |
| Location | Outside and Library |
| Registration | FREE – no registration needed |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
Color With Us! Adult and Kid Coloring at the Library
| Date | All of December |
| Time | Library Hours |
| Description | Bancroft Library will have kid and adult coloring sheets available during the month of December. Come in, relax, and enjoy a quiet reprieve from the holiday season or join together with friends for a fun way to be together! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | FREE |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or slm-director@sals.edu for questions |
Family Memorabilia Course: Part One – Organizing Print Photos
| Date | Tuesday, January 27, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm |
| Description | Does thinking about all the print photos you’ve got stashed in shoeboxes and albums and desk drawers and frames and unknown nooks and crannies ever make you feel like you’ve got your own private Mt. Everest to deal with? Have you ever wanted to create a keepsake album or photo gift for a special occasion, but then gave up the idea at the dread of trying to find the right photos to include? Are you wondering what to do with all the print photos you’ve collected (or inherited!) over the years? Do you even know where they all are? Learn simple steps to take to start getting a handle on your photos, organizing them, preserving them, sharing them, and enjoying them yourself. Carolynn Duffy, through her business, Kinship Matters, is a genealogist and photo organizer in Washington County, with fifteen years professional experience helping to create a rich and complete legacy for clients and their family, through researching, documenting, preserving, and archiving clients’ personal histories, photos, heirlooms, and memorabilia. She knows firsthand how irreplaceable and meaningful photos can be; how important it is for them to be organized and labeled in order to keep them from becoming a pile of strangers in a box; and how critical where they are stored is to keeping them safe, accessible, and preserved for now and future generations. She also knows what it’s like to inherit objects that family referred to as “heirlooms,” but to have no idea of the meaning behind the memento. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration Required! Cost: Free |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for registration |
Family Memorabilia Course: Part TWO – Emergency Preparedness for Family Mementos and Photos
| Date | Tuesday, February 24, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| Description | Have you ever played the ‘what if’ game, where you’re asked to decide what you would grab if you had to leaver your house quickly? Would photos be on your short list? Which ones? Are they someplace where you could gather them quickly or are they scattered throughout your house? Or do you even know where they are? Learn about creating a “Go Bag of Memories,” including what to use to make your memories portable, how to decide what to include, and where to keep it ‘just in case.’ Carolynn Duffy, through her business, Kinship Matters, is a genealogist and photo organizer in Washington County, with fifteen years professional experience helping to create a rich and complete legacy for clients and their family, through researching, documenting, preserving, and archiving clients’ personal histories, photos, heirlooms, and memorabilia. She knows firsthand how irreplaceable and meaningful photos can be; how important it is for them to be organized and labeled in order to keep them from becoming a pile of strangers in a box; and how critical where they are stored is to keeping them safe, accessible, and preserved for now and future generations. She also knows what it’s like to inherit objects that family referred to as “heirlooms,” but to have no idea of the meaning behind the memento. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration Required! Cost: Free |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for registration |
Family Memorabilia Course: Part THREE – Organizing Your Digital Photo Collections
| Date | Tuesday, March 24, 2026 |
| Time | 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm |
| Description | The average American has over 70,000 digital images in their photo collection. We are the most documented generations in the history of the world. But all those great memories might as well not exist if we are overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of the images we each have, or if we can’t find them when we want them, or if we have only a vague idea of who some of the people are in the photos on our devices. Plus, how safe and secure are the devices that you use to keep your digital photos? Learn how to identify and locate where your photos are stored, how to quickly eliminate duplicates and junk, and how to choose a backup system that is right for you. Carolynn Duffy, through her business, Kinship Matters, is a genealogist and photo organizer in Washington County, with fifteen years professional experience helping to create a rich and complete legacy for clients and their family, through researching, documenting, preserving, and archiving clients’ personal histories, photos, heirlooms, and memorabilia. She knows firsthand how irreplaceable and meaningful photos can be; how important it is for them to be organized and labeled in order to keep them from becoming a pile of strangers in a box; and how critical where they are stored is to keeping them safe, accessible, and preserved for now and future generations. She also knows what it’s like to inherit objects that family referred to as “heirlooms,” but to have no idea of the meaning behind the memento. |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration Required! Cost: Free |
| Contact | 518-854-7463 or mcarll@sals.edu for registration |
VITA: Tax Prep Help
| Date | Three Dates: Tuesday, February 3, 2026 Saturday, February 21, 2026 Tuesday, March 3, 2026 |
| Time | 9:30 am – 3:00 pm |
| Description | The Volunteer Tax Program (VITA) in Washington and Warren Counties will again be offering free tax preparation appointments for the 2026 tax filing season January- April. This service is available to families and individuals who make less than $69,000/year. Please contact VITA with Questions and to make an appointment! |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration Required! Cost: Free |
| Contact | 1-800-211-5128 |
“It’s Revolutionary!” History Program with Debi Craig and Dorothea Craig Casey
| Date | Saturday, January 24, 2026 (Snow Date is Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 2:00 pm [note start time is different]) |
| Time | 10:30 am – 11:30 am |
| Description | Sisters Debi Craig and Dorothea Craig Casey will present a program for children called “It’s Revolutionary!: Stories, Songs, and Games from the Revolutionary War.” Learn about the Boston Tea Party, Ben Franklin’s invention: the glass harmonica, Henry Knox’s Trail which came right through Washington County en route to Boston, as well as the stories of some of the important women in the Revolutionary War. Children will learn songs about the Battle of Bennington and Revolutionary Tea as well as Colonial children’s games. Both presenters are retired music teachers. Craig began her teaching career right at Whitehall Elementary School where she taught for four years. She also taught at Cambridge Central School and for the Saratoga Springs City Schools. Casey taught in Vermont and Ohio, then at the Saratoga Springs Jr. High School, spending most of her teaching career at South Glens Falls Central School. In their retirement, the sisters started a Story Time in Hebron where both grew up. It meets on Saturday morning once a month providing children with opportunities to incorporate music, puppets, and movement with children’s literature. They had always wanted to do a puppetry program together and in 2022 the two started an after-school Puppet Club for children, They have performed “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Nutcracker” The program will last approximately an hour. A parent must stay with the child(ren). |
| Location | Proudfit Hall |
| Registration | Registration Required! Cost: Free |
| Contact | mcarll@sals.edu or 518-854-7463 |