Tuesday, September 9 @ 7:00 pm Did you know that Ridgefield and many of its neighboring cities and towns have official poets laureate? In addition to being prolific poets, these appointees work to create activities and events that promote the public enjoyment of poetry.
On September 9, Ridgefield Library proudly presents the voices of seven poets laureate, past and present, from communities in southwestern Connecticut. Come experience the quality and diversity of work by these purveyors of all things poetry!
Donna Disch – Poet Laureate of Westport
Ira Joe Fisher – Poet Laureate of Ridgefield
Barb Jennes –Poet Laureate Emerita of Ridgefield
Rick Magee – Poet Laureate of Bethel
Cheryl Panosian – Poet Laureate of Danbury
Laurel Peterson –Poet Laureate Emerita of Norwalk
Katie Schneider – Poet Laureate of Norwalk
This program will be held in person in the Library’s Main Program Room. Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, September 10 @ 5:30 pm: The Ridgefield ECDC (Economic & Community Development Commission) and the Ridgefield Library invite you to the Golf Performance Center (GPC) for their second Ridgefield Connect networking event. This networking series for working professionals centers around an engaging speaker or business, rotates around town, and is organized three times each year. The inaugural event in May at Nod Hill Brewery was filled to capacity.
Ridgefield Connect is geared to remote workers and entrepreneurs, but all working professionals are welcome. The event offers the opportunity to get out of the house and meet peers and colleagues while listening to an interesting speaker about topics that may not be mainstream or what you would hear in corporate settings.
GPC Founder & CEO Roger Knick, Head Golf Pro Dennis Hillman and Director of Operations Ed Murphy will share GPC’s origin story, and how the GPC business model has evolved and grown over the years – including increased accessibility to the public.
When: 5:30 – 7:30 pm on Wednesday September 10th
Where: Golf Performance Center at 824 Ethan Alley Hwy (Rte. 7) in Ridgefield.
- 5:30 – 6:00pm: Networking
- 6:00 — 6:30pm: Intro by ECDC, GPC Discussion and Q&A
- 6:30 – 7:30pm: Networking
- 7:30 – 9:00pm: Guests wishing to play the “National” (GPC’s mini 9-hole course) may do so at this time. Holes range from 30-95 yards; playing time is about 45 minutes. Bring a couple of wedges and a putter; GPC rents clubs if needed.
Cost: FREE. The ECDC is covering the cost of all beverages and light bites, making this an excellent opportunity to network and learn.
Click here to learn more and to register to attend.
Saturday, September 13 from 10:00 am to 3:30 pm: This free event features morning and afternoon sessions with outstanding independent presses: Woodhall Press of Connecticut and Bordighera Press of New York. The conference begins with a keynote on traditional and indie publishing with David Legere, editorial director for the FalconGuides and Globe Pequot imprints of Globe Pequot Press and CEO of Woodhall Press, followed by a panel discussion with Legere and Woodhall authors on the inner workings of the editorial process. The afternoon session features a roundtable discussion with representatives of Bordighera Press, a cultural heritage imprint of the Calandra Institute of Queens College CUNY, on the soup-to-nuts submissions and publishing process. Both sessions include opportunities for audience Q&A, networking, and author book sales and signings. Publishing areas include essay, fiction, memoir, nonfiction and poetry. The event is free but requires registration; click HERE to register. For questions, email Adele Annesi [email protected] or Lucy Handley [email protected]. A full event schedule is below.
Publisher/Author Setup & Attendee Sign-In
9:00 am to 10:00 am
9:00 am – Publishers and authors set up information and book tables (tables already available)
9:45 am – Attendee sign-in
Morning Conference Schedule
10:00 am to 12:15 pm
10:00 am – Introduction: Indie author Adele Annesi
10:15 am – Keynote: David Legere, CEO Woodhall Press
10:45 am – Break
11:00 am – Moderated Woodhall publisher/author panel with audience Q&A
11:45 am – Networking with publisher and authors plus author book sales and signings
Lunch Break
12:15 pm to 1:30 pm
Break for lunch plus discussion opportunities, book sales and signings
Afternoon Conference Schedule
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
1:30 pm – Introduction: Indie author Adele Annesi
1:45 pm – Moderated roundtable with Bordighera Press representatives and authors with attendee Q&A
2:30 pm – Networking with publisher representatives and authors plus author book sales and signings
Networking Reception
3:00 pm to 3:30 pm
Publishers, representatives, authors and attendees can meet, author books for signing and purchase
Saturday, September 13 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm: Be swept away into your favorite fandom and follow the Yellow Brick Road into the tenth annual fandom and pop culture event at the Ridgefield Library. We invite children, families, teens and adults to celebrate their favorite fandoms–from Pokémon to Mario, Toy Story to Wicked, Animal Crossing to Stranger Things, Bluey to Buffy and everything in between! Come in cosplay or costume and enter the cosplay contest, seek out photo ops in the themed areas and enjoy the fandom Easter Eggs hidden around the Library.
Search the Lodewick Children’s Library for Pokéballs with rare Pokémon, enter raffles to win books, toys, games and other prizes from your favorite shows, books and movies, step into an Animal Crossing sensory space, make your superhero sidekick out of slime, use your Summer Reading Reward at the Friends of the Ridgefield Library Secret Stacks Book Sale, try your hand at the I Spy “claw machine” search and find, join or watch a Smash Bros. competition, spin the prize wheel, make fandom buttons, dance to live music, create crafts and more!
Click here for updates.
RidgeCon is sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library and the Ridgefield Thrift Shop.
In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Ridgefield Library and Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center have partnered to develop and host a series of free programs to explore the history and current understanding of this foundational document. The America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence program series includes America250 Community Conversations, providing opportunities for community members to read and discuss the Declaration of Independence, and a special Declaration Deep Dive lecture and learning series presented by subject scholars across many aspects of the Declaration of Independence. Our shared goal is to facilitate a considered and meaningful examination of what it has meant to be an American historically, and what it means today.
Support for America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence is provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 CT program. Additional Library programming made possible by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library Scholarly Series. Additional promotional support provided by Ridgefield Commemorates America at 250.
Coming in September:
Thursday, September 11 — America250 Community Conversations: Get to Know the Declaration of Independence: A Founding Document Close Reading — 7:00 pm at the Library. Click here to learn more and register.
Thursday, September 18 — America 250: The Art of American Independence: Beyond the Declaration — 6:30 pm at the Library. Click here to learn more and register.
Sunday, September 21 — America 250 in Ridgefield Opening Keynote with Akhil Amar and Todd Brewster — 3:30 pm at the Library. Click here to learn more and register.
View the recording of America 250 in Ridgefield: Declaration Deep Dive: Britain and the American Dream with Peter Moore held in Zoom on August 21.
Mark your calendar and save the date for upcoming America 250 programs! Download our America 250 in Ridgefield brochure or visit our Events Calendar here to learn more.
Thursday, August 21 @ 7:00 pm: Join us for the first program in our special America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence series presented in collaboration with Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center.
British writer and historian Peter Moore will explore the trans-Atlantic origins of Thomas Jefferson’s fabled phrase, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” – perhaps the most famous line of the 1776 Declaration of Independence. Approaching a distinctly American ideal from a definitively British perspective, Moore will discuss the contributions of significant thinkers such as Samuel Johnson, Catharine Macaulay, John Wilkes and Benjamin Franklin.
Moore teaches creative writing at the University of Oxford. He is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Endeavour and The Weather Experiment, the latter of which was a New York Times “Notable Book of the Year.” His latest book, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: Britain and the American Dream 1740-1776 was published in 2023.
Support for America 250 in Ridgefield: A Deep Dive into the Declaration of Independence is provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 CT program. Additional promotional support provided by Ridgefield Commemorates America at 250.
Click here for more information and to register for this program. (This program will be held in Zoom; the Zoom link will be sent in your registration confirmation.)
Mark your calendar and save the date for upcoming America 250 programs! Download our America 250 in Ridgefield brochure or visit our Events Calendar here to learn more.
Saturday, August 16 @ 2:00 pm: Join us for a special Summer Saturday Ridgefield Folk Concert!
Amanda Pascali is an internationally acclaimed, bilingual singer-songwriter born in New York and based in Houston, Texas. She’s often described as a “young, female, and Italian Bob Dylan” and has released music and performed globally. Her music, often categorized as Immigrant American Folk, explores themes of her family’s diaspora and the experience of being a first-generation American. Blending folk/Americana influences with Mediterranean, Balkan and Latin rhythms Pascali’s songs are powerful tales of America told through the eyes of immigrants.
This concert will be part of Amanda’s long-awaited Northeastern US debut, following a two-month tour in Japan representing the U.S. at the World Expo. Addison Freeman will accompany her angelic voice with violin and mandolin.
For more information and to hear her music visit Amanda Pascali
The Ridgefield Folk Concert Series is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
Click here to register to attend.
Wednesday, August 13 @ 10:00 am: Memory cafés are essentially social gatherings where individuals with memory impairment and their adult caregivers come together in a supportive environment, share conversation over a cup of coffee, or participate in fun, simple activities with the group. It’s an opportunity to meet with others for support, companionship and fun!
The programming provides structured activities to promote reminiscing, cognition, and engagement for those with dementia, while offering caregivers an opportunity to make new friends and build strong, supportive, social connections.
This program is offered in partnership with the Library, Ridgefield Parks & Recreation and Ridgefield Station Assisted Living & Memory Care. Caregivers and their loved ones should both register.
Click here to learn more and to register.
Friday, August 8 @ 6:00pm: Join us for our 21+ adults-only tabletop gaming experience. Snacks, non-alcoholic beverages provided as well as a ticket for one beer or glass of wine included. Tabletop games mean anything from card games to dice games, board games to strategy games.
You are welcome to bring a game and play, learn a new game, borrow a game from our collection to take home, or just observe! If you have a specific game that you are interested in teaching, please let us know so we can put a table aside for you. Larger groups of six or more can also email to request a table be set aside.
All attendees must be 21 or older. Registration is recommended.
Click here to learn more and to register.
Saturday, August 9 @ 9:00am to 5:00pm: The Friends of the Ridgefield Library invite you to stop by the Friends Sorting Room on the Lower Level of the Library for their monthly Secret Stacks Book Sale, held on the second Saturday of the month. Great choices for readers of all ages and interests!
The Friends of the Ridgefield Library accept book donations! Leave your donated books on the cart(s) outside the Friends Sorting Room on the lower level of the Library during regular open hours. (Please do not leave donations in the Library Lobby or anywhere outside the building.)