Hispanic Heritage Celebration!
Saturday, September 30, 2:30 to 4:30 PM In Person
Bring the whole family to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Join us for food, dancing, crafts and fun!
Featuring dance performances by groups from Peru, Ecuador, Mexico and Argentina and a fashion walk of all the performers dressed in their folkloric typical costumes.
Other Upcoming Events!
Boardgame Bonanza
Monday, September 25, 10:00AM - 2:00PM In Person
Drop in to the meeting room anytime between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to play one of our many board games. We have all of the classics as well as some exciting new ones! It's the perfect activity for a day off of school with family and friends. All ages, no registration required.
Drop-In Stem Adventure: Paper Helicopter
Monday, September 25, 4:00 - 6:30 PM In Person
Calling all future aviators! Join us in the Children's Room between 4:00 and 6:30 pm to create Paper Helicopters that spin, twirl, and take flight with a touch of your creativity and your engineering minds. Recommended for ages 5 and up, no registration required.
Guest Author: Greg Gilmartin
Monday, September 25, 6:30-7:30 PM In Person
We welcome back Greg Gilmartin to discuss his newest title Castle Fires (2023). A daughter inherits her father’s castle and his empire. A father she never met. She must take charge of a cast of characters from a small town with big dreams to avert a geological disaster. Along the way, she falls in love, solves a murder, and learns who her father was and what she can be. It’s magic until you prove it’s science.
Greg Gilmartin is writing full-time now after a long career in broadcasting and marketing. Except for the time he’s running sailboat races for the Mudheads and Off Soundings. He currently enjoys the waters in the Mystic area of Connecticut with Pat, his companion of 30 years.
Virtual Author Talk with Amor Towles
Wednesday, September 27, 8:00 - 9:00 PM Online
Please tune in as we chat online with New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles about his incredible body of work.
Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the year's best books. Towles’s second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, published in 2016, was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years and was named one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. Most recently, in 2021, The Lincoln Highway debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was a Today Show, “Read with Jenna” book club pick as well as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2021, a Washington Post “Best Book of the Year,” one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2021, #1 on Amazon’s list of “Best Books of the Year,” and was one of Bill Gates’ “5 Great Books for the Summer.”
About the Author: Born and raised in the Boston area, Amor Towles graduated from Yale College and received an MA in English from Stanford University. Mr. Towles now devotes himself full-time to writing in Manhattan, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Please click here to register for this and other upcoming virtual author events. You may watch the talk live or view the recording.
DIY Instruments
Thursday, September 28, 4:30 to 5:30 PM In Person
Ready to create, play, and dance? Join us for this DIY instrument program in which kids will learn how to make percussion instruments from recycled materials! Registration required. Recommended for children ages 6-12 years. All materials will be provided. Registration is required.
In the Vault: what's in the town clerk's office?: a genealogy workshop
Thursday, September 28, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Online
Connecticut’s town clerks hold more than just vital records and deeds. This program discusses some of the more unusual sources found “in the vault” – and how they can help build your family tree. Registration is required for this virtual event.
We welcome back Bryna O'Sullivan of Charter Oak Genealogy.
3 Part Anti-Racism Series
Saturdays: October 7, November 4 & December 2
9:30 to 11:00 AM In Person
October 7 - Session 1 - History of Race
An introduction to basic vocabulary, historical precedents, and current conditions of race in our country. The presentation demonstrates how race was created, maintained, and manipulated throughout U.S. history. Past/present connections show how legacies of injustice shape systems and society in the 21st century. The program concludes with an opportunity for questions and discussion.
November 4 - Session 2 - Allyship in Focus
An overview of the insidious ways racism manifests in our lives today and the opportunities allyship provides to counter that inequity. Facilitators show participants how liberal and progressive ideologies, especially those held by white people, maintain and contribute to racist systems. The program concludes with opportunity for open discussion.
December 2 - Session 3 - Allyship in Action
Empowers participants to enact anti-racist strategies and allyship in their own lives. Through scenarios, scripts, and an emphasis on language and color consciousness, facilitators provide a range of actions applicable for workplaces, schools, and interpersonal relationships.
This series is facilitated by Aqua Drakes and Katie Burton. This program is funded by our partners at Waterford RISE with support from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and Ledge Light Health District.
Registration is required as space is limited. Participants should plan to attend all three sessions.
Track your reading
Does that new book seem…familiar to you? Sometimes you can remember the plot of a book so clearly but forget the title. Or worse, you can forget where you are in a series! We can help. From within your online library account, click “Preferences” and then check “Record my checkout history” and “Show my checkout history.” From that point forward, you’ll be able to see which titles and authors you’ve already read from within the “Checkout history” section of your account. Need more of a memory boost? Click on the titles to get book summaries and more.
