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

Fully Booked Summer Reading Challenge

June 23 – August 30

Registration link coming in mid-June!

OWL’s Fully Booked Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2025!

Register online, then come to the library to receive your challenge card. Starting Monday, June 23, the first 30 people who register AND come to the library to pick up their challenge card will receive a $5 gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts.

Your challenge card includes a list of 16 different prompts for you to try throughout the summer. However, you are not required to complete all of them. Participate at your own pace in whatever way works best for your reading habits!

One lucky winner will be randomly selected to receive a bookish prize basket. For each completed challenge, participants earn one entry towards the prize. Be sure to visit the library before the end of the program to enter your prize slips for the drawing.

Participants who complete at least 6 challenges will gain entry to an exclusive finale event on Tuesday, September 2nd at 6 PM. At this event, Vanessa Fasanella will help attendees create their own floral grapevine wreaths!

Gift cards generously donated by Litchfield Dunkin.

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

Wednesday June 25 at 10:30

Rhyme Time & Playgroup
Perfect for 18 – 36 months, but fun for everyone!

Just ONCE this month of June: returning to full weekly schedule in July

Lots of rhymes, a sprinkling of songs, and one or two shared board books round out this library program that is perfect for little ones who need to get those wiggles out. Stay to PLAY! After the rhymes, stay for some unstructured play time with other kiddos.

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

Pasta Perfect with Chef Jami Chiarella-Kopec
Discover the true essence of pasta-making with Chef Jami Chiarella-Kopec. This hands-on class dives into the heart of Southern Italian kitchens, where simplicity meets soul in every dish.

You’ll master regional specialties like Puglia’s Orecchiette with garlic and broccoli rabe, Sardinia’s Malloreddus in a sausage and fennel ragu, Calabria’s Fileja with fiery chili pesto and ricotta, and Basilicata’s Capunti in fresh tomato and basil sauce.

With just flour, water, and passion, Chef Jami will guide you through the art of crafting authentic pasta, sharing techniques and stories passed down for generations.

Limited spaces available. Roll up your sleeves, and get ready to create pasta that’s as heartfelt as it is delicious.

The Silo Cooking School
44 Upland Road
New Milford CT
06776
Pasta Perfect w/ Chef Jamie Chiarella-Copek Sat. May 24 @ 6:30

Grazing Table Masterclass with Chef Billy Ross

Elevate your entertaining skills with Chef Billy Ross of the award-winning Greca catering team. This hands-on class takes you beyond the basics, teaching you how to create stunning grazing tables that blend flavors, textures, and colors into edible art.

Learn to craft bold dips, smoky charcuterie, decadent cheeses, and irresistible finger foods, then style them into breathtaking displays that steal the show. Chef Ross will guide you every step of the way, igniting your creativity and giving you the tools to wow your guests at any gathering.

Come ready to build, taste, and transform your idea of what entertaining can be.

The Silo Cooking School
44 Upland Road
New Milford CT 06776
Grazing Board Greatness w/ Chef Billy Ross – Thur. May 22 @6:30pm

A 1958’s American Look with Jake Gorst
A Screening & Discussion of a special film.

Tuesday, June 10 from 6:30 – 7:30 PM
In Person ONLY. Registration required at OWL website.

American Look originally premiered at the 1958 American Society of Industrial Designers conference. This screening presents a meticulously remastered version, with film elements sourced from the collections of Mainspring Archive and the Library of Congress.

This 1958 promotional film highlights Chevrolet’s automobile line as a showcase of American industrial design and style. It explores modern architecture, interiors, packaging, office equipment, and industrial machinery, culminating in a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the 1959 Chevrolet Impala at General Motors’ Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Emphasizing the abundance of consumer goods and the role of design in shaping freedom of choice, the film captures the optimism of mid-century America. Runtime: 28 minutes.

Following the screening, filmmaker and historian Jake Gorst will lead a discussion on American Look, its significance, and his motivation for undertaking the remastering process.

Jake Gorst is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and president of Mainspring Narrative Films. Over the past two decades, he has produced and directed 11 feature-length documentaries, including Frey: The Architectural Interpreter (2020), Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island (2012), and Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs (2006). His films Farmboy and Leisurama have been distributed nationally on PBS. He is also the author of Andrew Geller: Deconstructed (2015, Glitterati, Inc.) and has contributed to The Architect’s Newspaper, VOX Hamptons, HOME Miami, Modern, and Modernism magazines.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/adult-events.aspx#anchor_gorst

Armchair Travel to Normandy to Commemorate D-Day
with Hugh Schoelzel & Nancy Schuler

Tuesday, June 3 from 6:30 – 7:30 PM
In-Person ONLY – Registration Required

June 6, 1944 will always be remembered as D-Day and the decisive turning point in World War II. Operation Overload was one of the largest amphibious assaults in history and demonstrated the Allies’ commitment to restoring freedom in Europe. 2,501 American soldiers were killed on that infamous date.

Join Hugh Schoelzel as he shares photos and stories of ceremonies in Normandy that mark this date each year.

Oliver Wolcott Library
160 South Street
Litchfield CT 06759

https://www.owlibrary.org/adult-events.aspx#anchor_normandy

In its debut showing, The Body Imagined: Figurative Art in the Bank of America Collection offers a unique lens on how the human figure has been depicted, reimagined, and transformed across generations and artistic movements. Featuring the work of acclaimed artists including Milton Avery, Nick Cave, Alex Katz, and Cindy Sherman, The Body Imagined examines how artists from the 20th century to the present have used the human figure in a diversity of mediums to communicate vibrant, compelling, and emotive narratives. This exhibition has been loaned through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program.

We are proud to host this exhibition, made possible through Bank of America’s Art in our Communities® program, which aims to make art more accessible to local communities and foster greater cultural exchange.

The opening celebration is set for Sunday, June 22, 2025, with $5 admission for the day.

Mattatuck Museum
144 West Main Street
Waterbury, CT 06702

https://www.mattmuseum.org/calendar/opening-celebration-the-body-imagined-figurative-art-in-the-bank-of-america-collection/

Join the Mattatuck Museum to visit the Berkshires to visit The Mount, home of Edith Wharton, and Naumkeag, both beautifully preserved historic homes and gardens. Enjoy a guided tour of both museums, learning about the architecture and the families who lived there. Enjoy lunch (included) with a view on The Mount’s Terrace and explore the acres of gardens independently.

Member: $105  SOLD OUT
Non-Member: $120 SOLD OUT
Member Meet Up: $95
Non Member Meet up: $110
NOTE: The Van is SOLD OUT, but there is still room for meet ups.

June 11, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Sponsored by Linford & Mildred White Charitable Fund.

Visit the Berkshires to visit The Mount, home of Edith Wharton, and Naumkeag.

https://mattmuseum.doubleknot.com/event/pp-van-trip-the-mount-and-naumkeag-in-the-berkshires/3101884

June 26 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Celebrate outstanding community leaders at the Mattatuck Museum’s 16th Annual Brass Button Award ceremony and Waterbury Clock Legacy Award on June 26. Enjoy a reception, dinner, and awards ceremony honoring John Hopkins, Mary Rosengrant-Chiappalone, and David & Melissa Martin.

Mattatuck Museum
144 West Main Street
Waterbury, CT 06702

16th Annual Brass Button Award

Bring the kids on down to The Colonial Theatre in North Canaan on Sun. 5/18 at 2pm for a Free Community Screening of TARZAN, the 1999 Disney animated classic! This FREE screening is generously sponsored by realtor John Harney Jr. of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. A highly acclaimed Disney animated tale, Tarzan features a stacked voice cast that includes Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Lily Collins and Lance Henriksen – and a standout Phil Collins soundtrack! The story follows an orphaned Tarzan, who is raised by the family of gorillas in the remote African wilderness. Years later, when a British expedition enters the jungle, he encounters the beautiful Jane, and must make a difficult choice about where he belongs — as his gorilla family is threatened by a ruthless hunter. Sun. 5/18, 2-3:30pm. Admission is free.

Colonial Theatre, 27 Railroad St., North Canaan CT.
https://canaancolonial.com/public-events