Saturday, July 15th @ 2:00pm: Learn about Ridgefield’s natural resources from the Ridgefield Conservation Commission. Information will be presented about the most recent update of the NRI (Natural Resources Initiative) and how it compares with the last inventory done in 2011. Additionally, a tour of the RCC’s website and a newly added story map, created by PACE University student Madelyn Garcia, will provide information about how to become a trail ranger and other citizen scientist opportunities.
Thursday, June 29th @ 6:30pm: Ridgefield’s CT State Legislators will be on hand to review the recently concluded Legislative Session.
Scheduled to attend:
State Senator Julie Kushner (CT-24th)
State Senator Ceci Maher (CT-26th)
State Representative Aimee Berger-Girvalo (CT-111th)
State Representative Keith Denning (CT-42nd)
Wednesday, June 21st from 11:00am to 7:00pm: Ridgefield is joining over 1,000 cities worldwide for Make Music Day, a live, free, all-day musical celebration. Come join the fun!
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
ACT of CT “Pop Up” Youth Choir
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Dave Goldenberg and George Mallas
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Check back for updates and additions to the schedule of events at the Library. Performances will be held outdoors on the Library Lawn and will be canceled in case of rain.
Tuesday, June 13th @ 7:00pm: ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, and has captured the imagination of the world. It has accelerated a broad discussion of the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in all aspects of our daily lives. In this general audience talk, we will begin with an overview of ChatGPT and discuss how it differs from traditional search engines. ChatGPT is an example of the emerging field of Generative AI, and we will briefly describe the related image generation application DALL-E. We will provide specific examples of ChatGPT illustrating its remarkable capabilities, and discuss some of its well-documented shortcomings including bias, misinformation and hallucination. Finally, we will touch on several societal issues in AI including ethical considerations, government regulation and the impact of AI on education and future career opportunities.
Presenter Rick Lawrence is a Ridgefield resident who received his B.S. from Stanford University in Chemical Engineering and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in Nuclear Engineering. His career has evolved from nuclear science to machine learning to quantitative finance, and most recently, to COVID data science.
Thursday, June 15th @ 7:00pm: Set in New York City in 1985, Scalzo’s new novel explores themes of art, immigration, reproductive rights, AIDS, assault, class and betrayal, all simmering beneath a dynamic plot that spans one life-altering year.
Books on the Common will have copies for purchase and signing.
Sunday, June 11th @ 2:00pm: The Ridgefield Folk Concert Series continues with Marc Berger, whose life has been about pursuing his twin passions: creating, recording and performing his original songs and exploring the American West. He’s performed at Austin’s SXSW Music Festival and the Kerrville and Falcon Ridge Folk Festivals and has opened for Bob Dylan and other national acts. At this special concert, Marc and the fabulous RIDE Band will perform songs from his recent album and Marc will share some unforgettable stories about his experiences as an Easterner in the mountain and desert West.
The Ridgefield Folk Concert Series is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
Tuesday, June 6th @ 7:00pm: Author Eliza Minot discusses her new novel about womanhood, modern family, and the interior landscape of maternal life, as seen through the life of a young wife and mother. Unfolding over the course of a single day in which Maisie and her husband take their children to pick apples, In the Orchard is luminous, masterfully crafted, revelatory—a shining exploration of motherhood, childhood and love.
Books on the Common will have copies available for purchase and signing.
Sunday, June 4th @ 2:00 pm: Interested in elections and voting in Connecticut? What is the status of early voting now that it has been passed in Connecticut and how will it work? Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas will speak about these and other related topics at the League of Women Voters of Ridgefield’s Annual Meeting. The League’s business meeting will be held prior to Thomas’s presentation. Members of the public are invited to attend the Keynote speech at 2:00 pm.
Secretary Thomas has spent her entire career in public service. Prior to her election as Secretary of the State, she served as State Representative for Connecticut’s 143rd District – Norwalk, Wilton, and Westport. As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, she sponsored and helped pass a variety of voter-focused bills, such as automatic voter registration and resolutions to advance early voting and universal access to absentee ballots. Secretary Thomas is committed to protecting voting rights and strengthening civic education in Connecticut.
Thursday, June 1st @ 7:00pm: Journalist, documentarian and Ridgefield resident Todd Brewster will discuss his new book, a remarkable collection of over 200 stunning photographs of children—from the Civil War era to the present—that captures the ever-changing experience of childhood throughout American history.
Did Americans “invent” childhood? Brewster believes we did, or at least childhood as “a period of life cordoned off from that of full maturity, covered with a veil of protection, and subject to a program of nurture.” That’s the inspiration behind this rich, compelling volume of rarely seen historical images drawn from the photography collections at the Library of Congress, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and the Magnum Photo Agency as well as dozens of other archives, flea markets, and antique shops. The result is a carefully curated paean to American youth: 200-plus photos from all parts of American history, joined by a series of deeply insightful essays on the topic of the American child.
Books on the Common will have copies available for purchase and signing.
Saturday, May 20th @ 6:00pm: The Ridgefield Library Great Expectations Gala honoring Suni and Woody Harford on Saturday, May 20th is sold out! If you are interested in attending the event, please email Jane Lindenburg, [email protected]. We will put your name on a waiting list and notify you if tickets become available.
Gala Donations / Auction Items / Paddle Raise