Children’s Programs

Sing-along with Erik: Young musician and performer Erik Bagger will sing the songs pre-schoolers love at a vacation week program at the Library on Tuesday, March 14 at 10:30 am. The program is free and open to the public. Recommended for ages 2-6.

Story Hour: There will be no story hours March 14-16. Story hours will resume the following week, March 21-23. Sign-up for the next series of story times begins March 21 and continues through March 30. Registration forms are available in the children’s department; no phone registrations will be accepted. The toddler program is for 2-year-olds and their caregivers. They meet Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings from 10-10:30. Children must be two by April 1 to be eligible for this session. Pre-school story times for 3-5 year-olds take place Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon from 1-1:45. An additional session will be offered on Thursday morning from 11-11:45. Space is limited for all of these sessions. For more information call the children’s department: 426-3851.

Adult Programs

On Monday, March 13 the Newtown Historical Society will present “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” Peter MacLachlan will share his story of working for the New Haven Railroad including photographs of the great machines that have been such a big part of his life for the last 40 years. This program is free, open to the public, and refreshments will be served.

The McLaughlin Vineyards Food and Wine Series continues on March 14. The class will be set up like a dinner with attendees sampling four courses and the wines with which they have been paired. This is a four-part series held on consecutive Tuesdays (The last class will be on March 21) from 6 – 8 pm. Come to one or come to all four. Please register by calling the library at 426-4533 or McLaughlin Vineyards at 426-1533. The supply fee is $8 per class or $32 for the series.

The Library Book Group will be discussing In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez on Thursday, March 16 at 7:30 pm in Quiet Study. Come join us for an informative and lively talk. New members are always welcome.

An Internet class for beginners will be offered on Saturday, March 18 and for intermediate users on March 25. Classes take place in the new meeting room from 10 am to noon. There is a $10 fee for the intermediate class only, and it is requested that you sign up at the circulation desk or by calling the library at 426-4533.

Paula Moliver is offering a “Painting on Silk” class on Monday, March 20 from 10 am to noon in the new meeting room. A stretcher frame, gutta design, silk paints, and brushes will be included for a $30 supply fee. Please register at the circulation desk. This class is limited to 12.

Two gifted poets will be coming to the library on Friday, March 24 at 7 pm. Helen Ruth Freeman, author of Diurnal Matters, and Doris Henderson, a local poet, will read from their selected works. Please join us for an enjoyable evening. Following the readings, there will be a book signing and dessert reception.

  The space race... civil rights... the Vietnam War... Revisit one of the most revolutionary and influential decades in American history – the 1960s! The Friends of the Library are sponsoring a new book discussion series. The next book to be discussed in the series will be The Autobography of Malcolm X on Tuesday, March 28 at 7 pm in Quiet Study. Multiple copies of the books are available at the library. Remaining titles in the series are: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey on April 18, and The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien on May 9.

Please call the library if you’d like to join in this discussion. You need not read the entire book to attend. On Sunday, March 26 at 2 pm the library will show the film The Autobiography of Malcolm X.