Tuesday, September 26th @ 1:00pm: Representatives from the CT Department of Social Services will explain what programs are available to help support caregivers and help their loved ones age in place and receive needed care. Presented in partnership with the Town of Ridgefield’s Social Services Department. Learn more & register.
Thursday, September 21st @ 7:00pm: Bestselling author Rich Cohen discusses his new book, When The Game Was War: The NBA’s Greatest Season, the gritty, no-holds-barred account of the 1987 NBA season, a thrilling year of fierce battles and off-the-court drama between Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan. Publisher’s Weekly said “this love letter to the NBA’s golden age is an instant classic.” Books on the Common will have copies for sale and signing.
Out of an abundance of concern for the safety of people entering the Library, speed bumps are being installed (weather permitting) on the morning of Monday, September 11, 2023 in the parking lot on either side of the Library’s Main Entrance. Please be aware that access to the parking lot may be affected during the work.
Sunday, September 10th @ 2:00pm: The Library’s Ridgefield Folk Concert Series returns with Washboard Slim & the Bluelights, whose music comes from the roots of traditional American popular music. The Bluelights draw on a variety of musical forms and they’ve created a new musical style that equally respects the past and the present – a typical Bluelights performance might include original tunes, early jazz, blues, swing, standards, jug band, early string band, gospel, pop music from the turn of the century and roots-y rock’n’roll. Started in 1986, they continue to perform at festivals, concerts and clubs around the country. In 2008 they won the Connecticut Blues Challenge and entry into the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Ridgefield Folk Concerts Series is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
Tuesday, September 5th @ 7:00pm: Join us for a very special program with Kevin R. C. Gutzman, author of The Jeffersonians: The Visionary Presidencies of Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. Before the consecutive two-term administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, there had only been one other trio of its type: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. Gutzman’s The Jeffersonians is a complete chronicle of the men, known as The Virginia Dynasty, who served as president from 1801 to 1825 and implemented the foreign policy, domestic and constitutional agenda of the radical wing of the American Revolution, setting guideposts for later American liberals to follow.
The three close political allies were tightly related: Jefferson and Madison were the closest of friends, and Monroe was Jefferson’s former law student. Their achievements were many, including the founding of the opposition Republican Party in the 1790s; the Louisiana Purchase; and the call upon Congress in 1806 to use its constitutional power to ban slave imports beginning on January 1, 1808. Of course, not everything the Virginia Dynasty undertook was a success: Its chief failure might have been the ineptly planned and led War of 1812. In general, however, when Monroe rode off into the sunset in 1825, his passing and the end of The Virginia Dynasty were much lamented. Gutzman’s book details a time in America when three Presidents worked toward common goals to strengthen our Republic in a way we rarely see in American politics today.
Kevin R.C. Gutzman is Professor of History at Western Connecticut State University and a faculty member at LibertyClassroom.com. He has his law degree from the University of Texas Law School and his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Virginia. His books include Thomas Jefferson – Revolutionary; James Madison and the Making of America; Virginia’s American Revolution; and, with Thomas Woods, Who Killed the Constitution?
(Photo credit: Lifetouch Portrait Studios Inc)
This program is part of the ongoing First Principles Series co-sponsored by the Ridgefield Library, the Ridgefield Historical Society, the League of Women Voters of Ridgefield, Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center and the Cannon Ridge Chapter of the DAR.
Saturday, September 30th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm: Families with children of all ages, join us in the Lower Level Program Rooms for a fun-filled afternoon!
- Bubble Dance Party
- English-Spanish Bilingual Storytimes with Piggie & Elephant Characters
- Visit with ROAR Therapy Dogs
- Library Activity Fair
- Twisty Balloons, Crafts and More!
The first 100 families will receive a FREE tote bagWith support from M&T Bank
June 1 through August 26: Registration for the all-ages Ridgefield Library Summer Reading Program opens on June 1, 2023. The Summer Reading Program runs through August 26 and this year’s theme – “All Together Now” – explores ideas of community, belonging, compassion and friendship. Activities include special programs, reading logs, raffles, prizes, the downtown Storywalk and more! Learn more here: https://libguides.ridgefieldlibrary.org/SRP/home
The Summer Reading Program will culminate with a Grand Prize raffle drawing awarding a participating child a ride to school with a Ridgefield Firefighter on a firetruck!
Teens in grades 6-12 and adults ages 18 and up are also invited to read and log for rewards and raffle baskets.
Individuals and families can register through the Beanstack app or website: https://ridgefieldlibraryct.beanstack.com/reader365 The Library’s annual Summer Reading Program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library with prize support by Books on the Common, Cake Box, Deborah Ann’s Sweet Shoppe and the Toy Chest.
Wednesday, August 23rd @ 7:00pm: Dennis DiPinto, Director of Ridgefield’s Parks & Recreation Department will discuss the ever-changing roles and responsibilities of Parks & Recreation Departments locally and across the country. This presentation will discuss the current state of Ridgefield Parks & Recreation, its mission, strategic goals and range of responsibilities. Woven into the presentation will be a focus on program offerings for adults and their entire families. Participants are sure to learn something they didn’t know about their Ridgefield Parks & Recreation Department!
Dennis joined the Ridgefield’s Parks and Recreation Department as Director in March 2018 after 22 years as Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Brookfield. Prior to Brookield he was the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation in Old Saybrook.
Thursday, August 17th @ 3:00pm: Did you read at least one book and participate in the Library’s Adult Summer Reading Challenge 2023? Or complete STEAM Bingo? (There’s still time! Contact the Adult Services Desk for more information.)
Be sure to drop by the Bossidy Commons between 3:00pm and 5:00pm to celebrate the end of our Adult Summer Reading Challenge. Have some cookies, iced tea or lemonade and chat with us about what you read this summer. The STEAM Corner Bingo participants will also have the opportunity to win a crafty gift!
All attendees will receive a raffle ticket for the door prizes graciously provided by the Friends of Ridgefield Library.
No registration required.
Saturday, August 12th @ 3:30pm: The Michael Chekhov Theatre Festival will hold an opening reception at the Ridgefield Library for members of a symposium to be held in August. Dr. Lenka Pichlikova-Burke will offer her talk on Michael Chekhov in Ridgefield to the symposium participants and any members of the public who are interested.
The Chekhov Theatre Studio was located until 1942 in Ridgefield, where future Academy Award, Tony and Emmy-winning actors finished their dramatic training and began their professional careers. After World War II, these were joined by dozens of other award-winning and internationally famous actors trained in California – names such as Yul Brynner, Beatrice Straight, Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn. Dr. Lenka Pichlíková Burke, professional actress, professor and expert in Chekhov dramatic method, will present an illustrated lecture focusing on Chekhov’s work in the U.S.