Calendar

Music and stories, outside on the Lawn! Bring a blanket or comfy chair and enjoy!!

Longtime New England singer/songwriter Matt York will perform the songs of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings and tell stories of their careers. The four songwriting legends joined forces in the 1980’s to form the country supergroup The Highwaymen. However, prior to that, they’d each established themselves as stars and their careers intersected many times since the 1960’s.

York has twice been nominated as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards and his latest release was named one of the Boston Globe’s best albums of 2019.

Learn more about Matt and the program at https://mattyorksongsandstories.com/

This in-person session is for teens only. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Life is tough, but you’re not in it alone. Hear from local author Maeve Ronan (It’s the Depression for Me) as she shares her personal story and provides practical tips for dealing with depression and anxiety.

This workshop will leave you feeling inspired and empowered with strategies to believe in yourself and in your future. If you’re ready to move beyond the negative thoughts in your head and start genuinely living life again, this workshop is definitely for you.

Families are invited to share summer stories, songs, rhymes, and music in a fun interactive program that builds early literacy skills. This program is designed for children birth to 5 years old, accompanied by a favorite adult.  Together we will enjoy making our own pinwheels to try and to take home. Registration required, limited supplies.

Learn how to play this fun and easy instrument! No experience necessary. Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of Julie’s. After a short lesson, you’ll be able to play songs and we’ll play a few campfire classics. Recommended for families of all ages.  Registration required

This session is for teens and adults. Registration is required. In-person with a max of 24 participants. Click here to register.

Julie will be teaching campfire songs on the ukulele! No experience necessary. She’ll teach participants how to hold, strum, fret and read chord diagrams – everything one needs to know in order to play the ukulele. Bring your own ukulele or use one of Julie’s.

This program was funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Crimson Canary is BACK and playing a lovely evening concert for us on the Library lawn. They will be performing classic vocals from the 40s, 50s and 60s in several languages. Bring a blanket or chair, relax, and let the music move you! (Rain date Friday, August 5th, 6-7pm)

Crimson Canary consists of guitarist/vocalist David Chu and vocalist Lonnie Chu, known for their vintage music sung in various languages. They also perform and educate about flamenco music.

David Chu began his music career as a teen playing piano and percussion, but soon switched to guitar. An accomplished soloist, he provides accompaniment and is the group’s arranger and composer. He delights audiences with the variety of genres he plays on either guitar, including flamenco, jazz, blues, Brazilian, and even Beatles.

Lonnie Chu, manager and singer, has also played folk guitar and bluegrass mandolin and enjoys singing in various languages and genres. A retired professor of Spanish, she delights in teaching audiences how to participate in flamenco’s rhythmic hand-clapping (palmas).

Read more about Crimson Canary on their website at crimsoncanary.com

This program was funded in part by Emily’s Friends of the Library.

Join us as we welcome author Tim Spofford for a conversation about his new book What The Children Told Us. Tim will discuss the lives and work of Drs. Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark, including Clark/Phipps genealogy (guided by vintage family photos), the Doctors’ famous Doll Test, and their roles as Black activists, humanitarians and intellectualists in Springfield, MA and nationally.

This event is drop-in and masks will be required.

Author Bio:
Tim Spofford’s writing career was inspired by the May 1970 slayings on the Kent and Jackson State campuses amid antiwar unrest. He wrote Lynch Street, the only book about the black students slain in Mississippi. A writing career focused on racial issues in education followed the completion of his first book.

For seven years, Spofford covered educational policymaking for the Albany Times Union, including at the NYS Education Department, the NYS Legislature and the 64-campus State University of New York system. He often interviewed Kenneth Clark, a policymaker on the NYS Board of Regents.

Spofford has taught writing and journalism in schools and colleges and has a Doctor of Arts in English degree from the State University at Albany. He’s published articles in the New York Times, Newsday, Mother Jones, Columbia Journalism Review and other publications. He also worked as a copy editor, most recently at the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, where he coached young editors. Spofford is an avid but unaccomplished hiker, swimmer and landscaper. He lives with his wife, Barbara, in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Lee, Massachusetts.