Living Well in Litchfield County, Connecticut

From January 17 through February 7, the David M. Hunt Library in Falls Village (CT) will host “Home Sweet Home,” an exhibition of cigar box art by the students at Lee H. Kellogg School. Madeleine Stern, Kellogg School’s Art Instructor received one cigar box for each student at the school from David M. Hunt Library’s ArtWall program and set up workshops for each grade level to explore the theme of “home.”

Stern said, “Depending on the student’s creative interests these turned out to be representations of their own home, a place where they feel at home, or an imaginative exploration of the idea.”

There will be a reception for the public and parents of the artists on Saturday January 25 from 11am to 1pm. The exhibition will be on display from January 17 through February 7. This exhibition is free and open to the public.

David M. Hunt Library
63 Main Street
Falls Village, CT 06031

Exhibition — Kellogg School Emerging Artists: “Home Sweet Home”

On Friday, January 10th at 4 pm the David M. Hunt Library and the Falls Village Equity Project will host a Banned Book Club. This month we will be discussing the book “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult.

Copies of the book are available at the library. This group is open to anyone high school aged and older. This event is free.

David M. Hunt Library
63 Main Street
Falls Village, CT 06031

Banned Book Club — “My Sister’s Keeper”

Winter Crafts for Teens | January 25, 1:00-2:00 pm
Visit the Makerspace for a chill winter crafternoon! Relax, listen to music, and hang out with your friends as you make a project inspired by the season. We’ll have supplies for a few projects available, or you can use the materials from the art wall to create your own! Grades 6-12. Registration required.

To register: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/winter-crafts-for-teens/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/winter-crafts-for-teens/

Adult Workshop: Quote Totes | January 24, 10:00-11:30 am
Do you have a word or mantra for the new year? A song lyric, poem, or other quote you love? Visit the Makerspace and put it on a tote bag with some help from the Cricut cutter and heat press! You’ll learn how to use the Design Space software to format text for cutting and some tips for working with heat transfer vinyl and selecting the best settings for the heat press. Ages 18+. Registration required.

To register: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-quote-totes/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/adult-workshop-quote-totes/

Tech Tuesday: Mike Ingber Presents “Doing More With Your Computer” | January 14, 2:00-3:30 pm

There are so many things that a Windows computer can easily be used for that you might not know much about. In this class, we will explore many capabilities that will enhance the use you get from your computer! Join us to learn about dictation, projecting, creating sticky notes, connecting Bluetooth devices, the value and power of YouTube, and more!

Mike Ingber, owner of Upward Business Systems since 1989, provides expert, reliable, affordable computer consulting services to many clients. Clients include town halls, libraries, schools, non-profit agencies, small and medium businesses, home users, and senior citizens. Mike received an M.S. in Computer Science from Cornell University in 1979, and a B.S. in Computer Science and Applied Math from Stony Brook University in 1977. Mike has been a resident of Oxford since 1982.

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/tech-tuesday-mike-ingber-presents-doing-more-with-your-computer/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/tech-tuesday-mike-ingber-presents-doing-more-with-your-computer/

Gunn Memorial Library Makerspace
Beginner Sewing Club (Grades 4-5), January 10, 17, 24; 3:30-4:30 pm
Free program

Get started with the basics of sewing in this three-week workshop! Participants will learn how to cut out a pattern, thread and safely operate a sewing machine, and machine-embroider a monogram as they create their own reading pillow. Grades 4-5. Registration required. Participants must attend all three sessions.

To register: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/category/makerspace-programs/2025-01/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/category/makerspace-programs/2025-01/

Creative Family Fun: Snowflake Symmetry | January 11, 1:00-2:00 pm

Science, math, and art collide in this month’s Creative Family Fun workshop! Did you know that snowflakes show six-fold symmetry? Learn more about different kinds of symmetry and discover how snowflakes are formed as you create your snowflake prints with stamps and paint. Ages 5+ with a caregiver. Registration required.

To register: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/creative-family-fun-snowflake-symmetry/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/creative-family-fun-snowflake-symmetry/

Mindfulness Meditation to balance and renew:
Learn how to grow a heart that is ready for anything!
With Sheila Klapper

Saturdays, January 18, February 15 & March 22, 2025
10:00-11:15 AM

Meditation is a time-tested, evidence-based tool for regaining balance and locating joy.
Learn how to train our minds for stability and our hearts for peace. We will explore time-honored practices that can be done anywhere to grow roots in a constantly changing world.
Together, we will look at why people meditate, discuss the benefits of regular practice, and learn important foundational techniques to support a home practice. We will:
Embrace mindfulness in daily activity
Learn ways to overcome the obstacles that arise around practice
Sit together in a guided meditation each week
Share reflections and questions as we go
Explore mindfulness in movement and eating
Discuss ways of creating a supportive home practice

Summon your curiosity and see what quieting a busy mind is like. You are welcome if you have a practice needing refreshing or are simply curious, and imagine this practice might be a valuable tool for your well-being.

BIO: Sheila Klapper’s unwavering dedication to meditation spans many decades, practicing within various traditions. In 2021, she completed an intensive 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach through the Greater Good Science Center, Sounds True, and the Awareness Training Institute. For 9 years, Sheila taught in community centers, adult education programs, and libraries in Northwestern, CT. During COVID, she began leading virtual groups that continued for several years. She started a bi-monthly meditation group at the Litchfield Community Center more than 5 years ago that continues to serve a welcoming group of meditators.

Sheila became a certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor in 2000 and briefly ran her yoga studio in Glastonbury, CT. Later, she brought her commitment to wellness to Hartford Hospital, where she taught yoga and meditation to both staff and patients while serving as a Medical Librarian.

Registration is required:
Session 1:
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/mindfulness-meditation-to-balance-renew-with-sheila-klapper/

Session 2:https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/mindfulness-meditation-to-balance-renew-with-sheila-klapper-2/

Session 3: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/mindfulness-meditation-to-balance-renew-with-sheila-klapper-3/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586

Adults

Crafting History – January 28th, 2025
2:00-3:30 PM
Free program

The Gunn Museum and Makerspace present a series of craft workshops inspired by artifacts from the Museum’s collections. These hands-on workshops blend creativity, history, and art, providing participants with a unique learning experience.

January: Wood Block Stamp Carving with CNC Machines
In January, participants will step into wood carving using Makerspace’s CNC machine to design and create their own wood block stamps. Drawing inspiration from the work of Washington’s own Herbert Faulkner—renowned painter and wood carver—participants will craft personalized stamps to embellish tote bags, coasters, or note card sets. It’s a perfect way to explore art and craftsmanship while connecting with local history!

Registration is required: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/crafting-history-2/

The Gunn Memorial Library & Museum
5 Wykeham Road
Washington, CT 06793

860-868-7586
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/crafting-history-2/

The January and February picks for the Gunn Memorial Library book clubs will come from the New York Times Top 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. In January, the Thursday evening Book Club will read the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tobarczuk

In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then, a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon, other bodies are discovered in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

A deeply satisfying thriller cum fairy tale, Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? It asks. Who is worthy of a voice?

Copies of the book are available at the library circulation desk

Register at: https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead-by-olga-tobarczuk/

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Rd
Washington, CT 06793
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-drive-your-plow-over-the-bones-of-the-dead-by-olga-tobarczuk/