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

Movie Screening “PBS Frontline: Plastic Wars”
Presented by the Gunn Memorial Library and the Washington Sustainability Committee

Tuesday, February 17, 2026
6:00-7:30 PM

Washington Sustainability Committee and Gunn Memorial Library Host Free Screening of PBS Documentary Frontline: Plastic Wars
The Washington Sustainability Committee, in partnership with the Gunn Memorial Library, invites the public to a free screening of the powerful PBS Frontline documentary “Plastic Wars.” This enlightening film takes an in-depth look at the global plastic pollution crisis and investigates the origins of the plastics problem, the effectiveness of recycling efforts, and the environmental consequences that communities around the world continue to face. Through investigative reporting, the documentary challenges long-held assumptions and encourages viewers to think critically about consumption, responsibility, and sustainable solutions.
This community event is open to all and is designed to spark awareness and conversation around one of today’s most pressing environmental issues. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the plastic lifecycle and the role individuals, corporations, and policymakers play in addressing plastic pollution.

Registration is preferred

The Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Rd
Washington, CT 06793
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/movie-screening-frontline-plastic-wars-presented-by-the-gunn-memorial-library-and-the-washington-sustainability-committee/

FREE
1:00-2:00 PM

The Gunn Memorial Library invites readers to explore The Gathering by Anne Enright—an extraordinary novel by one of Ireland’s most acclaimed contemporary writers. Winner of the Man Booker Prize, Enright delivers a haunting and beautifully written portrait of family, memory, and the long shadows of the past.

When the nine surviving members of the Hegarty family come together in Dublin for the wake of their troubled brother, Liam, his sister Veronica is left to piece together the circumstances of his death—and the dark secret they share. As she journeys through generations of family history, Veronica confronts the forces of love, betrayal, and redemption that shape their lives.

With striking lyricism and psychological depth, Enright intertwines humor and heartbreak to create a bold, unforgettable story about how memory distorts truth and how the weight of the past can define us. The Gathering stands as a brilliant exploration of grief, inheritance, and the fragile bonds that hold families together.

Join us for an hour of discussion as we delve into this powerful and evocative work by one of Ireland’s most remarkable literary voices.

Registration is required.

Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Rd
Washington, CT 06793
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-friday-book-club-the-gathering-by-anne-enright/

FREE
6:00-7:00 PM

Join the Gunn Library Thursday evening book club to discuss Booker Prize–Winning Novel Prophet Song, by Paul Lynch, who delivers a haunting vision of a nation in crisis

On a dark, rain-soaked evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack opens her door to find two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police. Their mission: to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist. What follows is the unraveling of a family—and a nation—caught in the tightening grip of authoritarian rule.

In Prophet Song, winner of the 2023 Booker Prize and a national bestseller, author Paul Lynch delivers a chilling, prophetic portrait of a society on the brink. As Ireland descends into tyranny, Eilish must navigate an increasingly dangerous world to protect her children and preserve her humanity.

Both a gripping political thriller and an intimate family drama, Prophet Song is a devastating exploration of love, resilience, and the cost of survival in a collapsing democracy.

Registration is required.

Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

Gunn Memorial Library
5 Wykeham Rd
Washington, CT 06793
https://www.gunnlibrary.org/calendar/gml-thursday-book-club-prophet-song-by-paul-lynch/

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Join us at the Litchfield Community Center for a warm and welcoming Family Dinner as we celebrate the New Year together. This free event is open to all families and offers a great opportunity to connect with neighbors and enjoy a delicious meal.

Menu includes:
BBQ pork, corn, rolls, veggies, and assorted desserts.

To register, please visit www.thecommunitycenter.org or call 860-567-8302.

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302

January Family Dinner

Join us at The Litchfield Community Center for our annual Fire & Ice Family Funfest — a free outdoor celebration for all ages. Enjoy an afternoon filled with winter-themed activities, cozy fire pits, food, games, and family-friendly fun.

Stroll through festive tents, warm up by the fire, roast marshmallows, and take part in activities hosted by local organizations. Whether you prefer the “fire” or the “ice,” there is something for everyone.

Time: 1–3 PM
Weather Date: Saturday, January 31
Free admission, food, and activities

If you are interested in volunteering, sponsoring, or hosting an activity table as a nonprofit organization, please email info@thecommunitycenter.org.

We look forward to welcoming you for a fun and memorable winter afternoon.

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302

Fire & Ice Family Funfest

Live,Learn, Lunch: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Diane Stone, Ollie Instructor and Leadership Council Member, will present an informational session on this wonderful lifelong learning program.

12:00 – Light lunch will be served.
12:30 – Presentation

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302

Live,Learn, Lunch: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The Language of Freedom – How Revolutionary Rhetoric Inspired a Nation
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

This presentation takes an exciting look at the American Colonies before and during the Revolution to understand how rhetoric inspired its people. We’ll delve into patriotic church leaders and some of their inspiring sermons from various colonies. Many sermons were reprinted and distributed across the many colonies. Sermons were not the only documents printed for widespread reuse. People had opinions and wrote motivating pamphlets, today’s blogs; most were anonymous for fear of the King’s repercussions. Newspapers reprinted excerpts from sermons and pamphlets. Other newspapers simply reprinted the articles, spreading a common message across the colonies. Broadsides, large single-page newspapers, carried graphic illustrations often designed to inspire and were often nailed to public buildings.
Most of these printed documents found their way into the lively hubs of colonial taverns. Citizens read the materials aloud so all those who could not read would hear the opinions. Initially, the language sparked long debates between loyalists and patriots, but as the options narrowed under British control, colonists came to see rebellion as their best option. See and experience some of the pressures that helped to brew a revolution.

Speaker Bio – John Cilio

Litchfield Community Center
421 Bantam Road
Litchfield, CT 06759
860-567-8302

Live,Learn,Lunch Series: The Language of Freedom

Artist Peter D. Gerakaris cites a favorite John Steinbeck quote that encapsulates the ethos of this exhibition: “It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.”

In “Oculus Serenade,” Gerakaris’s selection of vibrant tondo paintings, works on paper, and mosaic artworks focuses our gaze on the wondrous natural world. He describes these round compositions as “merging microscopic and macroscopic perspectives, which speak to the interconnectedness of life at all scales.” As luminous portals called oculi, the works present motifs like endangered botanicals, exotic avian species, topographical forms, and aquatic life. The artist has firsthand experience of these subjects through trekking in semi-tropical jungles, scuba diving amongst fragile coral reefs, or hiking along the Housatonic in Cornwall.

As a visual artist who’s also a musician, Gerakaris feels colors vibrate like sound, where the imagery of his oculi “reverberate like stereographic, kaleidoscopic vignettes, helping to bridge nature and culture.”

Gerakaris’s exhibit features four uniquely hand-embellished prints and a shimmering cut-glass mosaic that orbit around a hand-painted, four-foot diameter “Orchid Oculus Tondo.” This central painting evokes a dreamlike cosmos where viewers encounter endangered parrots from St. Lucia and larger-than-life tropical orchids flowing amongst rhythmic foliage. With a harmonious composition, the meticulously layered elements are hand-painted with a call-and-response process where the artist allows chance spills, drips, and dyes to remain exposed—an approach likened to “visual jazz” by curator Simon Watson.

The result is exotic transport beyond our winter environs, and a rare glimpse of the artist’s oculus strand across different media. Like a newly formed sextet performing in concert, this exhibit offers an engaging visual serenade.

American interdisciplinary artist Peter D. Gerakaris creates vibrant paintings, public installations, origami sculptures, and mosaics that engage nature-culture themes through a global lens. His work has been featured in numerous exhibits around the world, and has had art acquired by many institutional and private collections at home and abroad. He has mounted several major projects for the Berkshire Botanical Garden (BBG), including the large-scale “Spotted Owl Mosaic”—a site-specific installation in the garden curated by Beth Rudin DeWoody in 2021 for the BBG’s permanent collection. Gerakaris was subsequently the BBG’s Featured Artist for Summer 2024 with his solo exhibition “Microcosms.”

Artist’s Reception on Saturday, January 17, 4-6 PM
Registration requested for reception at https://cornwalllibrary.org/events/

Cornwall Library
30 Pine Street
Cornwall, CT 06753

Events

Where petals echo posture and blooms meet the human form, The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens welcomes Katie Ré Scheidt and her exhibition, “Petal & Curve,” on view Friday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, March 8, 2026.

This show features paintings that explore the artist’s fascination with the shared tension between figure and flower that is at once intimate, organic, and quietly powerful.

An opening reception will be held on Saturday, February 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Check our social media for weekly open hours: @judyblackpark on Instagram and Facebook.

The Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens
One Green Hill Road
Washington Depot, CT 06794
https://judyblackpark.org/events

Smoke Signals in Sunlight – Susan English and Laura Moriarty

Dates: January 10 – February 15, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday January 10, 4 – 6 PM, free, public invited

Kenise Barnes Fine Art is pleased to announce Smoke Signals in Sunlight, a two person exhibition featuring new work by Hudson Valley–based artists Susan English and Laura Moriarty. The exhibition brings together two artists whose practices are deeply rooted in material exploration, natural processes, and the poetics of landscape—each approaching abstraction through distinct yet resonant vocabularies.
Event Location

Kenise Barnes Fine Art
7 Fulling Lane
Kent, CT 06757

Gallery hours: Thursday – Saturday 11:00 – 5:30, Sunday 12:00 – 4:00 and by appointment
https://www.kbfa.com/exhibitions/298-smoke-signals-in-sunlight-susan-english-and/overview/