Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

Modern Calligraphy Workshop

Come learn the popular and playful Modern Calligraphy with calligrapher Debby Reelitz at the David M. Hunt Library on July 17th at 4:00pm! In this workshop, you will learn where this style comes from, strategies on how to create this lettering style and projects to use the skills you have learned. No experience necessary!

More information about Debby Reelitz is available at: https://letteringdesign.com

This program is free and available for ages 8 – adult or younger with permission. Sign up today or contact the library to register.

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

Modern Calligraphy Workshop with Debby Reelitz

LARP@OWL

Fridays at 1 PM – July 11, 18 & 25
For Teens entering Grades 6 – 12

Registration is Required at OWL website.

LARP /lärp/ noun – a type of interactive role-playing game in which the participants portray characters through physical action, often in costume and with props.

Play LARP with us!

7/11 – Character Creation: Make an original hero to play LARP and discover your own personal legend.

7/18 – DIY Projects: Build your own LARP gear and learn to think creatively and make solutions.

7/25 – Playing your Character: Time to celebrate all your hard work and apply the skills you have learned!

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/teen-programs.aspx

Thursday Comic Club

Thursdays at 1:30 PM, July 17, 24 & 31
For Grades K – 5

Registration is Required at OWL website

Do you love drawing? Each week we will discuss a different author/illustrator and create a project in their signature style.

7/17 Bob Shea – Author/illustrator of the Dinosaur vs. books and the Ballet Cat series, Bob Shea uses stamped shapes as the basis for his iconic characters.

7/24 Dav Pilkey–Creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man, Dav Pilkey is known for his bold, vivid illustrations and cartoonish, exaggerated style

7/31 Jeff Kinney–Jeff Kinney uses black and white sketches to great comedic effect in his famous Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/childrens-events.aspx

America 250: President’s Club

George Washington: with Historian Peter Vermilyea
In-Person & on Zoom:
First Meeting: Monday, July 7 from 3:15 – 4:15 PM
Registration is required to attend In-Person. Register at OWL website

Join us each month for one year as we explore 12 influential Presidents through selected biographies spanning from George Washington through John F. Kennedy.

About the Series:
When selecting biographies, we decided an author should only appear once on our list and that their work should be accessible. Each month, read the selected biography then join us as historian, author and teacher Peter Vermilyea leads the discussion exploring Presidential personalities, opportunities and failures, challenges, and legacies. Through lecture and discussion, we will delve deeper into our Presidential and shared history.

July Selection:
In July, we will be exploring Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow – A Pulitzer Prize winning book.

Celebrated biographer Ron Chernow provides a richly nuanced portrait of the father of our nation and the first president of the United States. With a breadth and depth matched by no other one volume biography of George Washington, this crisply paced narrative carries the reader through his adventurous early years, his heroic exploits with the Continental Army, and his magnificent performance as America’s first president.

About the Presenter:
Peter Vermilyea teaches history at Housastonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, CT and at Western Connecticut State University. A graduate of Gettysburg College, he serves as the scholarship director of his alma mater’s Civil War Institute. He is the author or editor of five books and fifteen articles, most on aspects of Civil War history.

Physical books are available at OWL to borrow, and e-books and e-audio books are instantly available for OWL card holders.
Click here to read about upcoming book talks in this series.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/presidents-club.aspx

Learn To Read Mondays

Mondays at 10:30 AM – July 14 – August 18
For ages 4 – 8 & their caregivers

Parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers. Ensuring that your child learns to read to their highest potential is one of the greatest gifts that you can give them. Using Letters are Characters and Letters are Builders trademarked play-based methods, we will laugh and play our way to literacy and deep reading and empower you to be a confident and competent literacy guide for your child!

Register and receive a Letters are Characters or Letters are Builders kit while supplies last. In addition to the in-person program, you will also receive weekly guidance delivered right to your inbox.

Does your child need to learn to recognize the letters and know the sounds that they make?

Does your child know their letter sounds and symbols and they are now ready to start sounding out and learning high frequency words?

This program is funded by the generous support of the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/childrens-events.aspx

Family Saturdays at OWL

Outdoor Storytime & Stay to Play
Saturdays at 10:30 AM – July 5 – August 9

Perfect for 3 – 5 year olds, but fun for everyone!

Join Mrs. Tricia for a classic library storytime–books, songs, bubbles, and more! Come for early literacy skills, social connections, and fun! We will meet outside each week, weather permitting.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/childrens-events.aspx

Tuesday Night Pizza at OWL

Tuesdays at 6:00 PM – July 1 – August 5
For children of all ages and their grown-ups

This summer, Tuesday evenings at OWL are all about families–take the stress out of planning dinner and an activity and instead have some complimentary pizza and then play! This program is for children of all ages and their grown-ups.

REGISTRATION REQUIRED FOR EACH PROGRAM!

7/1: 6-8pm – Bring the Hoopla (Hula Hoop Program) – Register here
Bring the fun back into fitness with this high energy, unique Hoopla hoop program!

7/8: 6-8pm – Mini Golf to Go! –
Play a round of mini golf in the stacks at OWL!

7/15: 6-7pm – “Predator & Prey” LHAS Outdoor Bird Watching Program –
The Litchfield Hills Audubon Society presents this fascinating bird watching program!

7/22: 6-8pm – Pokemon Party
Pizza and Pokemon?! What a perfect combo!

7/29: 6-8pm – Harry Potter Digital Escape Room Party – Register here
Use your HP trivia skills and general knowledge to unlock digital escape rooms!

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/childrens-events.aspx

Karen Bonanno Art Show

“A Seat at the Table” – Oils & Oil Pastels
by artist Karen Bonanno

July 14 – August 28
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 17 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM

ARTIST STATEMENT:
In A Seat at the Table, I explore the power of human connection through gestural figures engaged in conversation and communion. Painted in a loose, expressive brush style, these figures emerge as both individuals and collective presences, grounded around the shared ritual of the table. The table acts as more than a domestic setting—it becomes a symbol of inclusion, dialogue, and belonging.

My process is intuitive and fluid, allowing the energy of each figure to surface through sweeping marks and softened forms. These gatherings are not portraits of specific people, but representations of shared experiences and unspoken exchanges. The gaps between figures, the tilt of a head, or the echo of a gesture suggest moments of listening, offering, remembering.

Through this work, I invite viewers to reflect on the tables in their own lives—those places where stories unfold, identities are affirmed, and community is built. Everyone has a seat at the table. This series celebrates the beauty of showing up and being seen.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Karen Bonanno is a figurative painter working in oils and oil pastels to create expressive and gestural work that illuminates the universal connection between us all. She was born in New York and grew up in Danbury, CT where she attended WCSU and later the Vermont Studio Center. Her work is influenced by the Bay Area Figurative artists and the New York Abstract Expressionists. She now lives and works in Litchfield County.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield, CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/on-exhibit.aspx

David Grausman on Piano

Mr. David Grausman on the Steinway Piano.

Saturday, June 21st from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.

Sunday, June 22nd from 5:00 – 8:00 PM.

Drop in for dinner or a drink at the bar.

Fife n’ Drum Restaurant
52 Main Street
Kent, Connecticut. 06757

Tel: 860.927.3509

https://fifendrum.com/live-music/

Tales Well Told

Tales Well Told: A Live Theatrical Performance with Michèle LaRue
Thursday, July 31 from 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Registration required for In-Person.
Zoom Link at OWL website

“It’s difficult to find the words to describe the wonder of what you do!” “Riveting…” “Spellbinding…”

The stories in My Summer Vacation bring gasps and giggles. In “The Nice People” (1890), a charming young couple innocently brings mystery to a rustic resort: well, they seem nice . . . A different surprise is “Miss Esther’s Guest” who—although invited—is thoroughly unexpected.

Michèle LaRue has toured nationally performing her one-woman plays for more than 23 years. As an editor and writer, she has collaborated on numerous prominent theatre publications. Visit her website at http://michelelarue.com

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield, CT 06759
https://www.owlibrary.org/adult-events.aspx

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