Programs and Book Groups
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Book Groups
NPL/COA Book Group
Location: This group will meet in person at the Council on Aging (28 Medway Branch)
3rd Tuesday of the month (year round)
All meetings are at 2pm and meeting in person at the Council on Aging. Open to all adults 18+. Registration is not required. For more information contact Sarah, [email protected]
September 20: Guncle by Steven Rowley
October 18: The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
November 15: Guest List by Lucy Foley
Page Turners Book Club
Location: This group will meet in person in the Schoolhouse
1st Tuesday of the Month at 1pm
The reading selections are mostly fiction choices–with a sprinkling of non-fiction with an emphasis on books appealing to an eclectic taste as well as those with interesting points of discussion. This group runs September through June. Registration is not required and drop-ins are welcome. Copies of the discussion book are available in the library to check out at the circulation desk a month prior to discussion. For more information contact Kate, [email protected]
September 6: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
October 4: Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
November 1: The Elephant Whisperer by Anthony Lawrence
December 6: Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
Read It and Eat It
Location: This group will meet in person in the Community Room
Each meeting we will be discussing a different chef or cuisine. Copies of the books we will be discussing will be available at the circulation desk. Join other local foodies to talk about what you made, what you liked or did not like, get recipes, and more! Registration for each individual meeting is required, click on the date to be brought to the registration form. All meetings are planned to be in person, but that will be re-evaluated each month and could change. For more information contact Sarah, [email protected]
September 22: Yottam Ottolenghi
November 3: Half Baked Harvest
December 15: Appetizers/party food
January 26: Make a Recipe with Your Favorite Appliance
Fall/Winter Programs
Watercolor Meet Ups
Tuesdays, 1:00-3:00pm, Community Room, no registration required.
Do you enjoy painting with watercolors?
This group is for adult watercolor painters, all levels welcome, to gather together while painting your own projects.
Join us on Tuesday afternoons for a relaxed painting session where we can share techniques, ideas, tips and projects. Bring with you your supplies and what you’re currently working on. Please note that there will be no instruction given.
Fridays, 11:00am, NPL Magazine Room, no registration required.
Do you love to knit or crochet? If so, bring your yarn and knitting needles for our informal knitting group where you can work on projects, socialize and share advice. Please note that this is not a knitting class. No instruction will be provided, although participants are usually willing to help each other if issues occur.
No Fail Crafts for Adults
Click on the session date to register. No Fail Crafts will be held in person in the Community Room.
Enjoy an evening or afternoon of crafting with all materials provided. Great for all skill levels. Open to adults 18+. Registration is required.
10/6, 7:00-8:00pm: Wine Cork Pumpkins
11/16, 7:00-8:00pm: Pie Garland
12/8, 7:00-8:00pm: Clay gift tags
1/12, 7:00-8:30pm: Woven Landscape
2/16, 7:00-8:00pm: Magazine bead necklace
3/16, 7:00-8:30pm: Suncatcher
4/13, 7:00-8:00pm: Spring Sign
5/18, 7:00-8:00pm: Bottle cap flowers
6/27, 7:00-8:00pm: Sea glass votives
Games and Cards Meet Up
Drop in to socialize and play your favorite games with friends. Choose from our games or bring your own. Open to adults.
Meets the 2nd Thursday of every month, 1:00-3:00pm – Community Room, no registration required.
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes with Liz Barbour
9/28, 7:00-8:00pm: Virtual – register here
This artisan bread recipe and method is truly the easiest bread you will ever bake-even if you have never baked bread before! This class will focus on the “Master Recipe” from the best-selling cookbook “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day”. You make the dough once and then bake a fresh loaf whenever the mood strikes you with only 5 minutes of effort. Join Chef/Cooking Instructor Liz Barbour for this virtual class. You’ll be baking artisan-style bread in no time!
*This class is a Cook Along w/ Liz class. Registered patrons will receive a link to the ingredients and equipment needed to prepare the recipe with Liz.
The Highway Man: Songs with Matt York
10/8, 1:00-2:30pm, Community Room, no registration required.
Longtime New England singer/songwriter Matt York will perform the songs of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings and tell stories of their careers. The four songwriting legends joined forces in the 1980’s to form the country supergroup The Highwaymen. However, prior to that, they’d each established themselves as stars and their careers intersected many times since the 1960’s. York has twice been nominated as Best Male Artist by the New England Music Awards and his latest release was named one of the Boston Globe’s best albums of 2019.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Norfolk Local Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Garden Club of Norfolk Workshop
10/12, 7:00-8:00pm, Community Room – Contact: Susan McCarthy, [email protected]
Co-sponsored with the NPL, Susan McCarthy will teach participants to make maple leaf roses that can be assembled into a bouquet or used as an accent in other autumn decor.
Before Brooklyn: An Author Talk with Ted Reinstein
10/20, 7:00pm in the Community Room – register here
In April of 1945, exactly two years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball, liberal Boston City Councilman Izzy Muchnick persuaded the Red Sox to try out three black players in return for a favorable vote to allow the team to play on Sundays. The Red Sox got the councilman’s much-needed vote, but the tryout was a sham; the three players would get no closer to the major leagues. It was a lost battle in a war that was ultimately won by Robinson in 1947. This book tells the story of the little-known heroes who fought segregation in baseball, from communist newspaper reporters to the Pullman car porters who saw to it that black newspapers espousing integration in professional sports reached the homes of blacks throughout the country. It also reminds us that the first black player in professional baseball was not Jackie Robinson but Moses Fleetwood Walker in 1884, and that for a time integrated teams were not that unusual. And then, as segregation throughout the country hardened, the exclusion of blacks in baseball quietly became the norm, and the battle for integration began anew.
About the Author: Ted Reinstein has been a reporter for “Chronicle,” WCVB-TV/Boston’s award-winning—and America’s longest-running, locally-produced— nightly news magazine since 1997. In addition, he has been a contributor for the station’s political roundtable show and sits on WCVB’s editorial board. He lives just west of Boston with his wife and two daughters. He is also the author of New England Notebook (Globe, 2013) and Wicked Pissed (Globe, 2016).
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
Pie Basics with Liz Barbour
11/9, 7:00-8:00pm – Virtual – register here
A delicious pie is one crust and one filling away. In this class Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast will demonstrate her favorite pie dough recipe and prepare a a beautiful and delicious pie you will love to serve for years to come. Liz will also share cooking wisdom and tips that will inspire you to create variations of her recipe.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
Pie: A History! Talk by Sarah Lohman
11/14, 7:00-8:00pm – Virtual – register here
Pop in for some Thanksgiving PIE inspiration! In this fun talk, culinary historian Sarah Lohman will walk you through the origins of holiday pies, from elaborate wild game pies to extra strong pie crusts called, “coffins.” Then, we’ll delve deep into the history of pumpkin pie, using it as a guide for how pie has changed over time, ending in an exploration of the pumpkin spice flavor craze.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
The Eight Flavors of Cocktail History
12/12, 7:00-8:00pm – Virtual – register here
Inspired by her popular book, Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine, culinary historian Sarah Lohman uses eight different ingredients as a path to explore the history of American cocktail history, from the 18th century to the present day. This talk will explore the histories of juniper, citrus, bitters, nutmeg, ice, grenadine, cola, and flavored vodka; with brief digressions into tea and straws. She’ll focus on some of the most popular drinks of each era, who would be drinking them, and where — from the hotel bars of the 1890s to the foam parties of the 1990s. Join us for an overview of one of America’s greatest inventions, the cocktail!
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
I’ve Been Meaning to….
We all have things we have been meaning to do, the list is long and not every task is guaranteed to be fun. This series will help you to check a task off your list or give you more information on how to move forward.
These programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
Declutter and Organize Your Closet, 1/19, 6:00-7:00pm – Virtual – register here
Have you been meaning to declutter and organize your closet?
Join Susan McCarthy from A Less Cluttered Life for a virtual presentation on how to declutter and organize your closet. Learn four different techniques for decluttering your closet that accommodate different schedules as well as levels of energy. Discover what you can let go of to make an immediate difference to your closet. She’ll also discuss shopping techniques that will save you from buying clothing destined to clutter your closet. You are invited to start decluttering your closet during the presentation using Susan’s Minimal Mess Method.
Estate Planning, 2/28, 6:00-7:00pm – Community Room – register here
Have you been meaning to Learn About Estate Planning?
Join Amanda Mulhall from The Law office of Mulhall Withrow for an informational seminar on Estate Planning.
Starting an Herb Garden, 3/21, 7:00-8:00pm – Community Room – register here
Have you been meaning to start an herb garden? Liz Davey will hold a presentation on how to start your own herb garden. Liz Davey has been growing her own herbs here in Norfolk for about 50 years! She’s been the chair of the Garden Club of Norfolk Town Hill Herb Garden for a number of years and has done programs about herbs and cooking with herbs for GCN.
Garden Club of Norfolk Workshop: Houseplants
2/8, 7:00-8:00pm – Virtual – register here
Join The Garden Club of Norfolk as Bonnie Power leads a virtual discussion on houseplants. As with our outdoor gardens, many things can go wrong when you grow plants indoors. Learn the factors that make for happy houseplants, including light, water, and soil…and how to provide them. Common houseplant pests and diseases are also on the agenda, as well as how to treat them.
This is a co-sponsored event with the Garden Club of Norfolk and the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library.
Soup-Love in a Bowl
4/5, 7:00-8:00pm – Virtual – register here
Liz Barbour shares cooking wisdom and easy recipes that will add to your healthy eating plan. A warm bowl of soup is like a comforting hug. Its even better when you know how to make it yourself. During this class Liz will demonstrate two seasonal soup recipes you can have on the dinner table in minutes. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Adult programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Norfolk Public Library, unless otherwise noted.
Questions? Please contact Sarah, Director, at (508) 528-3380 x3 or send an email to [email protected].
