January 13-28: The 2023 Escape Room Fundraiser at the Ridgefield Library invites you to board a 1903 luxury passenger train — can you solve the clues to stop the runaway train before time (and track) run out? This annual fundraiser helps to support the Library’s operating budget. Each private 60-minute session costs $250 and accommodates between 3-8 participants. This event is great for groups of adults, groups of teens and families with children ages 10 and up. Click here to learn more and make a reservation.
January 12th @ 6:00pm: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that impacts children’s ability to read, write, and spell. Decades of research studies related to dyslexia have been conducted – however, there are still common misunderstandings about its identification and the types of instruction that are most effective. The presenter will define and explain dyslexia and how it may co-occur with other learning difficulties, including ADHD, executive function difficulties and dysgraphia.
Dr. Margie B. Gillis, Ed.D., CALT, is the founder and president of Literacy How, Inc. , a non-profit organization that provides professional learning opportunities and coaching for educators on how best to implement evidence-based practices in the classroom. She has worked at the policy level through the Connecticut State Department of Education and is an advisor for ReadWorks, Understood, and the International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction. She is on the Editorial Board of IDA, Perspectives and The Reading League Journal. Margie believes that learning to read is a civil right and that all children can learn to read and benefit from evidence-based instruction.
This program is made possible thanks to the Couri Family Education Fund.
| January 14th from 9:00am to 4:00pm: Recycle Your Old Electronics Safely & Securely! Decluttering after the holidays? Here’s your chance to clean out your home or office, recycle responsibly, protect your private information, and support a great cause, all in one simple act! Bring your old phones, tablets, laptops, hard drives, PCs, Macs, printers, TVs, DVD players and other technology to the Lower Level of the Library. Computer parts will be destroyed and then safely recycled. Other home electronics and small appliances will also be accepted for recycling, except for large kitchen appliances and any device containing mercury, Freon or hazardous liquids.
Secure e-waste recycling and final disposal will be provided by Take 2 Inc of Waterbury, the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority’s certified electronics recycling provider. Suggested donation is $20 per item, with proceeds supporting the Library’s technology initiatives, including STEAM programming for all ages. (E-waste recycling is also available at no charge at the Ridgefield Recycling Center.) |
NOW January 7th @ 2:00pm: The Softer Side of Celtic combines music, stories and a wee bit of history from Scotland, Ireland and England into a program that will keep you on the edge of your seat! There will be singing, laughing, clapping and perhaps foot stomping. Jeff Snow’s concerts are interactive, inviting questions and input from the audience. The typical concert includes music on the guitar, bouzouki and autoharp. Celtic Culture is woven deeply throughout the fabric of America and especially so in the Northeast. This concert will also feature some holiday music. More information can be found at http://www.jeffsnow.net/concerts.html
The Ridgefield Folk Concert Series is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
December 30th @ 11:45am: Families with children of all ages are invited to join us at the Ridgefield Library as we count down to 2024 with a balloon drop at the stroke of noon! Children are invited to make a craft beforehand and enjoy refreshments and a kids’ dance party with DJ Miles from Bach 2 Rock following the balloon drop. Drop-ins are welcome, but registration is required for refreshments.
PLEASE REGISTER YOUR FAMILY UNIT AND INDICATE HOW MANY CHILDREN IN YOUR PARTY IN THE COMMENTS. No need to register each individual.
Parents must remain in the building for the duration of the program. Children under the age of 12 cannot be dropped off.
December 11th @ 2:00pm: Join us for a delightful afternoon interlude listening to inimitable voice actor Alan Sklar read two seasonal works. He will treat us to O.Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi,” and Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Light refreshments of tea and cookies will be served.
Click here for more information and to register.
The Library’s 2022 Scholarly Series is Seeing Beyond: the Works and Vision of H.G. Wells. Herbert George Wells (1866 –1946) was an English writer best remembered for his science fiction novels and has been called the “father of science fiction.”
In addition to his fame as a writer, he was prominent in his lifetime as a forward-looking, even prophetic social critic who devoted his literary talents to the development of a progressive vision on a global scale. He foresaw the advent of aircraft, tanks, space travel, nuclear weapons, satellite television and something resembling the World Wide Web. His science fiction imagined time travel, alien invasion, invisibility, and biological engineering. His most notable science fiction works include The Time Machine (1895), which was his first novel, The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
Don’t miss these upcoming programs for all ages celebrating H.G. Wells, his works and lasting impact.
Seeing Beyond: The Works & Vision of H.G. Wells is made possible by the generosity of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
December 1st @ 7:00 pm: Join us as we welcome author Scott MacMillan for a discussion of his new book, Hope Over Fate: Fazle Hasan Abed and the Science of Ending Global Poverty. Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times called Abed “one of the unsung heroes of modern times.” Fazle Hasan Abed was a mild-mannered accountant who may be the most influential man most people have never even heard of. As the founder of BRAC, originally the Bangladesh Rehabilitation Assistance Committee, his work had a profound impact on the lives of millions. A former finance executive with almost no experience in relief aid, he founded BRAC in 1972, aiming to help a few thousand war refugees. A half century later, BRAC is by many measures the largest nongovernmental organization in the world—and by many accounts, the most effective anti-poverty program ever.
This program will be held in the Library’s Main Program Room. Learn more and register here.
November 29th @ 7:00pm: Author Max Tucci will be here to discuss his new book, The Delmonico Way: Sublime Entertaining and Legendary Recipes from the Restaurant That Made New York. Featuring stories, ideas for entertaining and seventy-five recipes from the Tuccis, the family that ran Delmonico’s in its golden era. Each chapter is organized around a style of dining that Delmonico’s pioneered or perfected under the Tucci’s proprietorship. Vintage era photographs, ephemera, menus and countless other gems featured in The Delmonico Way remind us that entertaining with style, elegance, sophistication and intention remains just as relevant today as it did during the restaurant’s storied past. Max Tucci is the grandson of former Delmonico’s owner Oscar Tucci.
Books on the Common will have copies of The Delmonico Way for purchase and signing.
For more information and to register, please click here.
The Library will be closed on Thursday, November 24th and Friday, November 25th, in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be open regular hours on Saturday, November 26th and Sunday, November 27th.