The Concord Free Public Library Corporation is proud to host an Open House for the community on Saturday, May 21, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Come tour the new Library spaces, and enjoy some music, activities for all ages, and ice cream! Free and open to all. No registration required.
Rockabye Beats
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Front Lawn, Main Library
A fun, family group whose music encourages movement, dancing, counting, singing, and a bit of Spanish vocabulary
"The Secrets of Restoring an Old Book"
11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Conservation Studio, Main Library
Bookbinding/conservation demonstration with Luisa Granitto, the Library's Book Conservator.
Tours of the New Library Spaces
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
The Commons, Main Library
Join the Library Trustees for a tour of the new spaces.
Free Ice Cream from Reasons to be Cheerful
11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Main Library (new Main Street entrance facing Concord Academy)
1:30 - 3:00 p.m., Fowler Branch Backyard
Remarks and Dedication of the New Library Spaces by Library Trustees and Staff
1:00 p.m.
Children's Garden, Main Library
Teen Sticker Party with Teen Librarian Cary Stough
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Customize your gear with sharpies and so many stickers. Vote on upcoming crafts and events in the Teen Lounge and hear about our summer activities.
Unveiling of the Fowler Mural
2:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch Backyard
Join us to celebrate the collage community mural designed by Margot Kimball of ART for ALL and created by you.
If you are unable to attend the Open House on May 21, a second Open House will be held on Saturday, June 18.
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Special Collections Highlights: They Are Back! |
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We know you have missed them!
The William Munroe Special Collections holds over 200 pieces of art, including sculptures, paintings, and lithographs, from a wide variety of artists from Concord and beyond. Over the last two years, Special Collections engaged in a major initiative to enhance the Library Corporation's art collection documentation, and make images of the individual art pieces in the entire Collection available online. In preparation, Jim Coutré Photography photographed the Library Corporation's entire Collection on-site. We also contracted with Skylight Studios Inc., located in Woburn, to clean and restore over a dozen plaster busts and objects in the Library Corporation's Collection.
With the assistance of staff from Skylight Studios, Inc. and Clark Fine Art Services, this week we reinstalled the plaster busts of Henry David Thoreau, Simon Brown, Bronson Alcott, and Ephraim Bull in the Rotunda. The bust of Simon Brown, Concord farmer, publisher, and politician, is of special significance. The bust is sculptor Daniel Chester French’s earliest portrait bust known to have survived.
We also invite you to peek in the Thoreau Room, where the recently cleaned and restored plaster busts of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Mann, Lord Byron, and Plato, are now on display. Bronson Alcott donated both the busts of Plato and Emerson to the Library. Before making his gift in 1873 upon the opening of the Library, the Alcotts displayed the bust of Plato in their study at Orchard House.
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Scholarship Application Deadline Is June 3 |
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The Williams Scholarship Committee, an initiative of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation, is still accepting scholarship applications from college-bound High School Seniors residing in Concord, MA for The Charles Williams Scholarship for Excellence in Music and The Charles Williams Scholarship for Excellence in the Visual Arts. The deadline for submissions for both scholarships is June 3, 2022.
The Williams Scholarships are named for one of the Library’s original benefactors, Mr. Charles Williams, an enthusiastic supporter of higher education, music and the arts.
Application forms as well as submission requirements for each Scholarship can be found here. |
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Annual Book Sale Volunteers Are Needed |
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The proceeds from the Book Sale will fund the Library programs, museum passes, eBooks, print and audio-visual materials, and staff professional development. (Rain date: June 18)
The Friends need many volunteers before, during and after the Book Sale on June 11. If you have just 2 hours, you can help. Please sign up here. |
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Korean Family Month Celebration: An Evening of Korean Traditional Music
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The Korean Cultural Society of Boston is partnering with the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library to bring a celebration of Korean culture through the month of May.
Enjoy an exhibition of Minwha ( Korean Folk Paintings) from May 2 – 31, 2022 in the Main Library Art Gallery. The exhibition features Seongmin Ahn, Insun Cho, Sunhee Hur and Jaeok Lee. See below for the final accompanying event. |
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An Evening of Korean Traditional Music
Saturday, May 21, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join us for an evening of Traditional Korean Music, featuring three Korean traditional instruments:
- Gayageum (Korean traditional zither) by Kyungsun Kim
- Janggu (drum) by Jihye Park
- Ajaeng (string instrument with a bow) by Yoona Kim
Dr. Mina Cho, the founder of the 'International Gugak Jazz Institute' will also add fun by improvising on a keyboard with Yoona Kim. Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Korean Cultural Society of Boston. [Register]
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Stitch Circle at Fowler
Tuesday, May 24 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Join fellow knitting, crocheting and needlework enthusiasts for an hour of social crafting. Help each other out of tough spots, share patterns and tips, and enjoy crafting together. No registration required.
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Fowler Afoot: A Walking Book Club
Wednesday, May 25, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Fowler Branch
Get outside with Fowler Afoot as we walk and talk about books the fourth Wednesday morning of every month. We will meet at the Fowler Branch Library at 10 a.m. and walk over together to the Main Street entrance of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. Fowler has copies of our first selection Now Comes Good Sailing: Writers Reflect on Henry David Thoreau available for checkout. An eBook and eAudiobook of the title are available via OverDrive and Hoopla respectively. Read essays by twenty-seven well-known authors including Megan Marshall, Lauren Groff, Amor Towles and Alan Lightman about how Thoreau inspires and matters in today's world. Get your sneakers on and come join us! [ Register] |
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Author Talk: Russell Robb, Author of Your Money Mentors
Wednesday, May 25, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Main Library
Join Russell Robb for a discussion of his book Your Money Mentors: Expert Advice for Millennials. Your Money Mentors offers advice for millennials and their parents on how to succeed in the years post college graduation. Co-written by a millennial and based on the author’s sixty-plus years of experience in finance, the collective advice is full of data, current research, anecdotes, and suggestions regarding mentors, continuing education, internships, careers, starter jobs, setting financial goals, budgeting, and money matters concerning marriage. [ Register] |
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FREE Online Group Meditation with Be Well Be Here
Thursday, May 26, 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Zoom
Join Be Well Be Here for a 30-minute morning meditation practice sponsored by the Library, and start your day with a moment of ease. Discover mindful tools that center the body, settle the mind, and open the door to wellbeing. [ Register for Zoom Link] |
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Fowler Afternoon Tea Book Club
Friday, May 27, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch Backyard or Large Meeting Room
Join Samantha at Fowler on the last Friday of each month to enjoy a selection of teas and discuss a blend of historical and contemporary fiction. Copies of the selected book are available at Fowler. This month we will discuss The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, a retelling of the witch Angrboda's story from Norse mythology. We will discuss the book and recipes from that time period. Weather permitting, we will meet outside in Fowler's backyard. Please feel free to bring in food related to the recipe theme. [ Register] |
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Shake-scene at the Main Library, featuring Stephen Collins and Poornima Kirby
Wednesday, June 1, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Main Library
Join Shakespearean performers Stephen Collins and Poornima Kirby for a rollicking ride through some of the Bard's finest poetry and most compelling characters. Featuring scenes and monologues from some of Shakespeare's best known plays, including Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew, Henry V, and Julius Caesar, this original compilation digs into universal themes such as the price of power, the risks of falling in love, and the what to do with a murder weapon. The 1-hour show also includes a lively "sonnet duel," plenty of playful banter, and fascinating historical context; and includes a Question and Answer session at the end. Come immerse yourself in Shakespeare's wit, wordplay, and timeless verse. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [ Register] |
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Spring Virtual Films at Fowler Series: Fearless Romance 2 |
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For 26 years Concord film viewers gathered on winter evenings at Fowler Library to see some of the most interesting and stimulating examples of current and classic cinema from around the world. That movie series, now called Films at Fowler, changed to an online format in 2021 and continues in that format in 2022. Because we don’t meet in person, we will now view—on your own time schedule—selected movies on Kanopy, a free streaming service available to Library patrons. We will then gather on Zoom on scheduled evenings for a lively movie discussion. The theme of the movies in spring 2022 is a continuation of the winter theme of Reckless Romance. All five movies in this spring series have romance—not always conventional—at their heart.
Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. (Discussion Date on Zoom)
A lonely Depression-era waitress and housewife (Mia Farrow) escapes to the movies, where she is surprised and thrilled when a handsome actor (Jeff Daniels) suddenly steps off the screen and into her life.
Please watch the film on Kanopy before the discussion. To register for the discussion and receive a Zoom link, send an email to the host of the series Randall Warniers at FilmsatFowler@concordlibrary.org.
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Children's, Tween & Teen Events |
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Saturday Studio at Fowler, Ages 5 & under
Saturdays, May 21 & 28, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room
Join Fowler staff each week for a mix of stories, crafting, and other hands-on activities. If weather permits, we will meet in the backyard. Otherwise, in the large meeting room. Please wear your masks. No registration required.
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Chess Club at Fowler, Ages 10-100
Saturdays, May 21 & 28, 3:00 - 4:45 p.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room
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Musical Mondays at the Main Library with Rockabye Beats
Monday, May 23, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Rockabye Beats is a fun, family group whose music is reminiscent of founder Marcos Valles’s Puerto Rico. Their songs offer a range of styles from rock n’ roll to calypso to funk and even blues. Enjoy movement, dancing, counting, singing, and a little bit of Spanish vocabulary. Their music will have you bopping and moving along in no time! Sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. No registration required.
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In Person Baby Time at Fowler, Ages 0-12 months
Monday, May 23, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room
Join us for songs, stories, and a chance to chat with other parents.
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PJ Storytime on Zoom, Ages 5 & under
Monday, May 23, 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Zoom
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Teen Volunteering At CFPL Info Session (and Tour!)
Monday, May 23, 6:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Teen Room, Main Library
Are you a teen or caregiver of a teen in need of community service hours? Look no further than the Concord Free Public Library. Join Teen Librarian Cary Stough for a short informational session on the many opportunities available to teens from craft preparation to creating and facilitating their own programs. No registration required. Event will begin in the Teen Lounge and end in the Children’s Library.
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In Person Fowler Storytime
Tuesday, May 24, 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. & 11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room or
Labyrinth Garden at West Concord Union Church
Join us at Fowler for storytime. We will share stories, songs, and rhymes and do a simple hands-on activity. Outdoor: If weather permits, we will meet across the street at the labyrinth garden at the West Concord Union Church (1317 Main St). Indoor: In the case of poor weather, storytime will be held in the large meeting room. Pleas wear a face mask.
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Crafty Tuesdays - Make a Pizza
May 24, 10:30 —11:30 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Let's celebrate pizza! Come enjoy a story and then we will make our own pizza slices out of cardboard and paper and glue. Add your own toppings.
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Alphabet Storytime at the Main Library
Wednesday, May 25, 10:30 - 11:00 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Each week we will focus on a different letter of the alphabet. Recommended for ages 5 years and below. No registration required.
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Craft Lab at Fowler, Ages 12 and under
Wednesday, May 25, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch Backyard
Drop by Fowler to craft, experiment, and create. Join us each week for hands-on artistic exploration. We will test our ability to create in all kinds of weather, but we have our limits! Please look here and on our social media with any updates, or call Fowler at 978-318-3350 with questions. No registration required.
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Hungry to Help - Open Table Kids' Bags Event
Wednesday, May 25, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Introducing a new monthly program for elementary children brought to you in partnership by the Concord Free Public Library and Open Table, a local food pantry serving Concord and surrounding communities. In this hands-on program, we will use different stories and activities each month to help educate children, and facilitate discussion, on food insecurity. Children will decorate a bag and fill it with food provided by Open Table in support of the Open Table Kids' Bags program. They will learn about Open Table and the positive impact their help makes to children and others in their community. We know that Kids are Hungry to Help! Food Donations - (Optional) Have your child bring a food donation. Shopping with your child is another great way to involve them. No registration required. |
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Teen Finger Skateboard Snack Session, Ages 11-18
Wednesday, May 25, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Teen Lounge, Main Library
Join finger skateboard amateur and new Teen Librarian Cary Stough for afternoons of finger skateboarding and excessive snacking on Wednesdays in May. Set up a skatepark on the big Teen Lounge table. Use cardboard and other materials, hone your maker instinct with various (safe) tools and equipment. This is a chance to hang out in the new space with friends, make new friends, listen to tunes, and unleash your inner, dextrous Tony Hawk. Participants will also have the opportunity to vote on upcoming crafts and events at the Teen Lounge and learn about all that we already have planned for summer 2022. No registration required.
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Storytime at Fowler, Ages 5 & under
Thursday, May 26, 10:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Zoom
Join storytime from the comfort of your own home. Share stories, songs, and rhymes in this weekly virtual program. [Register for Zoom Link]
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Storytime-Picture Books 101
Thursday, May 26, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Come enjoy our favorite new picture books and learn how you can participate in our early literacy campaign called 101 Picture Books Concord Free Public Library Loves. These storytimes will feature our favorite new picture books and promote early literacy skills to newborns, infants, toddlers and preschoolers. No registration required.
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Messy Fun at Fowler, Ages 5 & under
Thursday, May 26, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch
Drop by the Fowler backyard or large meeting room weekly for a range of activities from play dough to blocks. Stay for 15 minutes or for the full hour. We will have different stations, allowing for child-guided play and social distancing. No registration required.
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Origami Club at Fowler, Ages 8 & up
Thursday, May 26, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room
All skill levels are welcome to our weekly origami club, now meeting on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. Each week we will try fun new projects. We meet in person. You may use paper you have at home or you may pick up origami paper at Fowler during our open hours. [Register]
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Concord Puppet Theatre
Friday, May 27, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Children's Activity Room, Main Library
Each week we will feature different puppets, new songs to learn and sing along to, and occasional crafts. Feel free to bring your own puppet (sock or otherwise) or instruments from home to join in on the fun. No registration required.
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Lego Club at Fowler, Ages 12 & under
Friday, May 27, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Fowler Branch Large Meeting Room
Join fellow builders to construct from our Lego collection. Try out weekly challenges or work on your own project. No registration required.
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