THOMAS MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Help us bring light into the darkness of winter as we decorate the library’s front lawn with an illuminated village, and hang illuminated paper lanterns all around the grounds! Our festival will include an evening parade that will begin at the Village Green near Town Hall and end at the library.

We’d like to invite you to be part of the magical festivities! Anyone is welcome to march in the parade or find a place on the sidelines to watch as the lanterns make their way to the library. Or come straight to the library to view the lanterns and enjoy treats and hot chocolate.

Here are the details:

The parade will begin at the Village Green lot and will proceed to the library front lawn where there will be a lantern installation, baked goods and hot chocolate.

Date and Time

The event takes place on Saturday, February 28th (rain/snow date will be Sunday, March 1st). The parade will begin at the village green near the town hall and end in front of the main doors of the  library. If you are participating in the parade, please arrive at the village green by 5:30 with your lantern. Poles for hanging lanterns and lights will be distributed and the parade will begin at 6 (not before). Please follow the directions of our parade monitors. Please follow the parade leaders and continue to walk all the way to the library front lawn.

What to wear

Please dress warmly as you will be outdoors for an extended amount of time. Hats, gloves, warm coats, walking shoes/boots, etc. glove/mittens are especially important for carrying the bamboo poles.

What to Bring

If you made a lantern, either at one of our workshops or on your own, remember to bring it! As mentioned above, poles and lights will be distributed that evening. We will have a lot of poles and lights – hopefully enough for everyone –  and they will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis. 

Lantern Etiquette

To make this a fun and safe event for everyone in the parade, please go over the following lantern etiquette with your child before the parade:

• The waiting period before we begin the parade may be a little chaotic. Please supervise your children.
• No running with lanterns
• No swinging the lantern about
• No overtaking the designated front of the parade
• Hold the bamboo pole firmly with 2 hands – with the lantern above you in front and not back over your shoulder.
• Please be aware of the people around you and hold your lanterns as high as possible, where it can be seen and enjoyed by all.
• Please return your pole to the receptacles at the library before you leave so we can reuse them next year.
• Have fun!!!

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Gabby Doane, Volunteer Festival Coordinator, or Rachel Davis, Library Director.

Make Lanterns!

You can make lanterns and houses for the festival. Easy lanterns can be made from:

• Two liter soda bottles and tissue paper
• Papier mache and balloons
• Paper bags (this link is for a very simple one, but you can make them as elaborate and fancy as you like!)
• Other homemade lanterns welcome!

Need a little help making a lantern or a house? We will have kits with all you need to make a paper bag lantern available for pick-up, and we will also be hosting several workshops where you can learn to make star lanterns and houses from paper and wooden sticks. You can also create houses from milk or juice cartons.