100th Anniversary Event

A special evening of antiques appraisals with Douglas Bilodeau of Douglas Auctioneers will be held at Tilton Library in South Deerfield Wednesday January 11 from 5-8 pm. Community members are invited to bring up to two items for appraisal. There is no charge for the event, but donations are welcome. Participants must pre-register for a time slot in the library. Snow date is January 18. The antiques appraisal evening is being offered as part of Tilton Library’s 100 th anniversary celebration.

The return of Barry Deitz is the welcome spring portion of our year long celebration of Tilton Library's 100 Years of going strong.  This free program will be held at Deerfield Town Hall and is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and there will be a drawing for a new copy of the American Library edition of "Robert Frost: Complete Poetry, Prose and Plays". Barry Deitz is a poet, documentary filmmaker, and community theater actor. He has presented programs on a wide range of topics from the poetry of World War I to the life and times of Lewis Carroll to the construction of Interstate 91, a talk he gave for Tilton Library in 2016.

Depictions of Tilton Library by Deerfield school children will be on exhibit throughout the library.

In celebration of Tilton Library's 100th birthday and in honor our 100 year relationship with South Deerfield Women's Club. Tilton Library will hold an ice cream party Saturday July 15 from 3:00-5:00 PM. In addition to a variety of ice cream treats, Ed Popielarczyk will be on hand to entertain with his balloon sculptures and local musician Jay Stryker will play piano. This community event is free and will be held rain or shine at the library. The ice cream party is being offered as part of Tilton Library’s 100th anniversary celebration. It was inspired by an ice cream social held by the South Deerfield Women’s Club more than 100 years ago as part of their fundraising efforts to support building a new library. This year’s party is sponsored in part by the Women’s Club and members will hand out treats on the 15th. More information on this and other anniversary events can be found at www.tiltonlibrary.org. The library’s 100th anniversary year began with a re-dedication ceremony and birthday party in November 2016. Funds to build and furnish Tilton Library came from the estate of local storekeeper Chauncey B. Tilton, from the town, private donations, and from Women’s Club fundraisers. An integral part of the community for the past 100 years, Tilton Library continually updates resources and services to respond to changing needs. In addition to print and electronic materials, Tilton Library offers programs for adults and children, and revolving exhibitions of local artists. As the library enters its second century, plans are being made for an addition that will provide more room for its collections, dedicated space for young adults, and community meeting space.

“Accidental Benefactor” will explore the life and times of local storekeeper Chauncey Tilton and the circumstances that led to the construction of the building that bears his name. The program, offered as part of Tilton Library’s 100th Anniversary celebration, is free and open to the public. Kate Hayes, a member of the 100th Anniversary Committee who has been researching the Tilton family for the past year, will give the talk. “My original intention was simply to create a short biography of Chauncey Tilton to include with our anniversary year documentation. However, I soon got caught up in doing more extensive genealogical research. I look forward to sharing what I have learned so far about Tilton’s life and the intersecting story of how Deerfield got its library.”

Please Join Us The 100th Anniversary Committee of the Tilton Library Board of Trustees requests the pleasure of your company for an early evening reception celebrating 100 years of library service to the town of Deerfield. Those planning to attend must respond by calling or emailing the library prior to the event.