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.
Wednesday, August 2nd @ 6:00pm: Families with children of all ages are invited to test their trivia skills at this interactive game show experience! Have you ever wanted to be on a TV game show? Team up with your friends and family for an exciting and educational evening and take your turn at the buzzer. Trivia questions are appropriate for elementary through high school students. You’ll be amazed at how much you know! Registration encouraged. Learn more and register here.
This program is made possible by the Friends of the Ridgefield Library.
Wednesday, July 26th @ 7:00pm: New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis transports us back to 1950s Manhattan and glamorous Radio City Music Hall in her thrilling new novel about a talented young Rockette and a mysterious bomber terrorizing New York City. Click here for more information about the book.
Books on the Common will have copies for purchase and signing.
Please register to attend here.
The E. W. Morris Memorial Library Building that forms the historic front wing of the Ridgefield Library opened its doors for the first time on June 22, 1903. The Library is planning to commemorate this milestone anniversary in a variety of ways this summer, and the community is invited to share their memories of the Library and its place in their lives. A new project — part of the Library’s “All Together Now” Summer Reading activities — will allow residents to create and share materials on a collaborative online platform. The Library will be providing more information about this project in the coming weeks.
The E.W. Morris Memorial Library Building at 472 Main Street was not the first library to serve Ridgefield’s residents: in 1795 a subscription library opened in town with a collection of 150 volumes, followed by Hiram K. Scott’s Circulating Library in 1852. The Ridgefield Library and Historical Association was established in 1871 and incorporated by the State of Connecticut in 1901. Library services were offered in a variety of locations in town until the purchase of the former Smith Tavern property at the corner of Main and Prospect Streets in 1900, with construction of the Morris Memorial Building commencing in 1901. The building and land were purchased and donated by Library Board Member James N. Morris, a New York businessman who summered in Ridgefield, in memory of his late wife, Elizabeth. Architect Raleigh C. Gildersleeve’s design for the building blends the Art Deco, Beaux Arts and Chicago styles and makes beautiful use of marble, granite, brick, copper, bronze and decorative ironwork. The Morris Building is part of the Ridgefield Center Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the Morris Building is comprised of the Friends of the Ridgefield Library Reading Room, which houses the Library’s periodical collection; the Sara and Rudy Ruggles, Jr. Reading Room, containing fine and performing arts collections; the Liz and Steven Goldstone Special Collections Room, containing poetry, plays and literary criticism; and the Randolph Board Room meeting space. In an active and vibrant 21st-century library, the Morris Building also serves as a Ridgefield Library designated quiet space. After 120 years, the Morris Building continues to welcome generations of Ridgefielders.
Check our website to learn more about upcoming activities and programs at the Library, including the celebration of the Morris Memorial Building this summer.
