Goodbye Irene
Saturday, March 29
3:00 – 4:30pm
Join us for an afternoon of authentic Irish and Scottish folk music with the band Goodbye Irene. This show is sponsored by the Friends of the Chaplin Public Library. Light refreshments will be served. All ages welcome!
Tea Time book Chat
Friday, March 28
3:00 – 4:15 pm
What are you reading? Enjoy some hot tea and chat about your favorite books this winter. To register, please send an email to [email protected]
Start Your Garden: Free Veggie and Flower Seeds
Saturday, April 5
10:00am-12noon
Browse our seed library and take FREE seeds to start your garden! This even is sponsored by the Friends of the Chaplin Public Library!
Quiet Corner Reads Book Discussion:
Martha Hall Kelly books
Wednesday April 9 at 6:00pm
Join us to discuss 2025 Quiet Corner Reads Author Martha Hall Kelly’s books. Tickets ($20) to hear Martha Hall Kelly speak at the Mansion at Bald Hill on Tuesday, May 6th are for sale at the circulation desk.
Saturday, April 12
Natchaug Amateur Radio Club
10:30am – 12:30 pm
Meet the the Natchaug Amateur Radio Club (NA1RC), a group of individuals passionate about amateur radio and its technology. They educate and develop technology for amateur radio, while sharing the experience of building and operating amateur radio stations. They are devoted to the interests of the community and public safety. Stop by the library and learn more.
Monday, April 14
Kindness Rocks
1:00-2:00pm
Join the librarian and get creative painting rocks for the library garden or for your library at home. All materials provided and all ages welcome!
Wednesday, April 16
Puppet Show
Jack Tuesday: Fairytale Investigator
10:30 -11:30am
The Lionheart Puppet Company will be performing Jack Tuesday: Fairy Tale Investigator! Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them. But Jack Tuesday’s the guy who can figure out why someone would try to hide them. On a chase through the city to the homes of three piggies and other popular tales. He’ll track down the thief who has stolen the sheepand make sure that the thief lands in jail. An original story from Lionheart Puppets, Jack Tuesday:Fairy Tale Investigator is a fun-filled mystery starring several favorite storytime characters. All ages welcome!
Author Visit with Lisa C. Taylor
Wednesday, April 23
6-7pm
Please join us for an evening with author Lisa C. Taylor for the release of her new book The Shape of What Remains. This lively and interactive event will include a reading, Q& A, and a few surprises! Light refreshments and book signing to follow. Copies of Lisa’s new book will be available to purchase.
Cookbook Club: Jamie Oliver Recipes
Wednesday, April 30
6:30pm
Do you like to cook? Do you like to discuss and share new foods with friends? If you answered yes, consider joining the Chaplin Public Library’s Cookbook Club. In April, we’ll be making Jamie Oliver recipes. Registration is required. If you are interested in joining, please speak with a librarian.
Preschool Storytime
Wednesdays
10:30-11:30am
(Lionheart Puppet Theater on April 16)
Preschoolers can come hear a story, make a craft, and play. This event is held Wednesdays in the library’s meeting room. Although this program is aimed at preschoolers, all ages are welcome!
Chaplin Ukulele Band
Wednesdays – 4:30pm
Join the Chaplin Ukulele Band. No experience required. No ukulele? We have one available for checkout! Stop in and join the fun.
Friends Group Meeting
Third Wednesday of the month- 2:00 pm
We have a Friends group! If you are interested in helping the library, please attend a meeting. Please note there will be no meeting in September.
PROGRAM RECORDINGS
Bicentennial Talk:
The History of Chaplin Place Names
Watch the recording of Warren Church’s talk!
Join Chaplin resident and local historian Warren Church to learn about place names in Chaplin. Why is it called Bear Hill Rd? Who was Diana of Diana’s Pool?
Bicentennial Talk:
Ruth Snow Bowen, Chaplin Quilt Maker
Watch the Recording of Catherine Smith’s talk!
Chaplin resident and artist Catherine Whall Smith shared the history of former Chaplin resident and artist Ruth Snow Bowen, who lived on Chaplin Street and sold many of her wonderful quilts throughout Connecticut. Each month the library is displaying small fiber art pieces of homes on Chaplin Street paired with a quilt from Catherine’s collection.
National Poetry Month: An Evening with Connecticut’s New Poet Laureates
Recording includes Adelaide Northrop
Listen to Connecticut’s newest poet laureates, including Chaplin Poet Laureate Adelaide Northrop.
Bicentennial Talk: History of the William Ross Library
Recording of Leslie Ricklin and Ingrid Wood’s talk
Chaplin resident Leslie Ricklin and Columbia Town Historian Ingrid Wood discussed the history of the William Ross Library.
Bicentennial Talk: Benjamin Chaplin’s Will
Recording of Gavin Horning-Kane and Brendan Kane’s talk
The 2nd Chaplin Bicentennial talk was a discussion of Benjamin Chaplin’s will. Chaplin residents Gavin Horning-Kane and UConn History Professor Brendan Kane explored the contents of our town benefactor’s will. Since it was written in 1790, the handwriting can be difficult to read. View the will for yourself, try your hand at transcribing a portion of it, and discover a bit about our town’s history.
Virtual Bicentennial Talk – Trouble in the Land of Steady Habits:
The Constitution of 1818
Recording of Walter Woodward’s Talk is available!
In celebration of Chaplin’s bicentennial, Connecticut State Historian Walter Woodward discussed what was happening in our state when Chaplin was taking steps to become a town. Connecticut in 1818 was in many ways eerily similar to Connecticut today: A troubled state, seeking a new direction. This lecture highlights the perfect storm of crises — environmental, economic, demographic, religious, and political — which converged in the middle of the eighteen-teens (1810s) to force the state to rethink the ways it had been conducting its affairs for the previous two centuries.