Exploring Human Origins: ALA Traveling Exhibit

The Avon Library will be hosting an ALA Traveling Exhibit in the community room on the first floor, from December 1, 2024-Jan. 15, 2025, on the origins of humanity.  We’ll be offering programming on science, history, and faith, exploring all of the themes of the exhibit.  The Smithsonian is visiting the first week with their experts for a series of programs.

The Avon Library’s Art Gallery will feature a companion exhibit, “Exploring Archaeology” from December 1, 2024-January 30, 2025. The gallery content looks at archeological terms, techniques, and finds within Connecticut. 

Our partners for this project include: Avon Congregational Church, Avon Land Trust, Avon Historical Society, Avon Senior Center, Farmington River Watershed Association, Farmington Valley American Muslim Center, Friends of the Avon Library, West Avon Congregational Church

Both the art gallery and the ALA Traveling Exhibit will be open during regular library hours:

Sunday, 1-5pm/Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10-8:30/Friday, Saturday, 10-5

Admission is free;  please register for any programs you want to attend so we may arrange the seating appropriately.

This webpage will be updated regularly with event details. Completed programs appear at the end of this webpage.

View a pdf of the programs here!

 

Thursday, January 2, 2025, 2:00 pm: Interfaith Panel (in-person)

Join us for an in-person, interfaith discussion of what it means to be human. What does each faith believe? Where do we come from? What is the origin of belief? This panel discussion will answer those questions, and probably generate a few more! Our panelists include:

Leaders from the West Avon Community Church, Avon Congregational Church (Chris Solimene), Rabbi Rebekah Goldman, Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation – Emek Shalom. Details here.

Sunday, January 5, 2025, 2:00 pm: How to be Perfect: Discussion with Dr. Agnes B. Curry (in-person) 

Join us for an in-person discussion of How to be Perfect; we’ll explore the questions, themes, and ideas within the book.  About How to be Perfect: From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,400 years of deep thinking from around the world.

Agnes B. Curry, Ph.D. is a Professor of philosophy and Director of the Core Curriculum. In all her teaching and research, Dr. Curry is concerned about drawing connections between philosophical ideas and our lives and individual experiences.  She sees philosophical ideas embedded in all the things we do in everyday life, and she stresses how the first step in learning to think for oneself is to start recognizing how all the ideas around us are working to shape our experience without our realizing it.  Dr. Curry came to philosophy through prior studies in music and science and she loves learning about all sorts of new things.  She regularly teaches Discovering Philosophy, ethics courses including Food Ethics and Philosophy of Race, and Women Philosophers. Details here

Monday, January 6, 2026: 4:30 pm: Stories that ROCK: Geology for grades 4-6 (Session 1)

Learn about local geology with Howard Wright, middle school science teacher and Science Department Head at Renbrook School, located in West Hartford, CT, who will have lots of cool rocks to touch and see during the program.

Howard Wright is a life member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization dedicated to the serious interpretation of Abraham Lincoln, and has been performing as the 16^th president since 2005. Mr. Wright is 6’3”, yielding only an inch to Mr. Lincoln, and his appearance – stovepipe hat, real beard, authentic period attire, Kentucky-style accent, and high tenor voice – creates a memorable impression on any audience. He has a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan, Bachelor’s from UCONN. Details here

Tuesday, January 7, 2026, 3pm and 6pm: Page to Stage: Hamlet

Page to Stage is a 45-minute adult enrichment presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. We’ll utilize text from the Q1, Q2 and F versions of Hamlet to examine the publishing process during Shakespeare’s time, how that process influenced what is universally accepted today as the work of William Shakespeare, and the ongoing role of the modern editor.

This is a presentational lecture style of information interwoven with monologues designed to support the topic of lecture.

Shakespeare on the Sound is committed to producing affordable, professional open-air productions of the plays of William Shakespeare and related authors in Fairfield County.  Working in collaboration with area civic, business and educational institutions, Shakespeare on the Sound presents an annual theatre festival, which brings great dramatic works to a broad audience, creating a forum for learning, appreciation and celebration. Our Educational programming goal is to build community through the arts, giving the works of Shakespeare a vibrant life beyond the summer festival with a variety of school, library, adult education, and art programs as a means to reach a diverse cross-section of people of all ages and economic backgrounds.  Details on the 3pm event here; the 6pm event here.

Monday, January 9, 2026: 4:30 pm: Stories that ROCK: Geology for grades 4-6 (Session 2)

Learn about local geology with Howard Wright, middle school science teacher and Science Department Head at Renbrook School, located in West Hartford, CT, who will have lots of cool rocks to touch and see during the program.

Howard Wright is a life member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization dedicated to the serious interpretation of Abraham Lincoln, and has been performing as the 16^th president since 2005. Mr. Wright is 6’3”, yielding only an inch to Mr. Lincoln, and his appearance – stovepipe hat, real beard, authentic period attire, Kentucky-style accent, and high tenor voice – creates a memorable impression on any audience. He has a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan, Bachelor’s from UCONN. Details here

Completed programs:

Wednesday 12/4/24, 6:30-8:00 pm: Smithsonian Science Lecture/Grand Opening of the Exhibit! 

THIS EVENT IS FULL AND SO IS THE WAITLIST. Grand Opening of the exhibit!

Dr. Rick Potts, the exhibition curator and director of the Smithsonian NMNH Origins Program, will give a lecture for the general public about the latest research in human evolution and an overview of exhibition themes and messages. Details here.

Thursday 12/5/24, 11:00-12:30 pm : Clergy Tour

Event for clergy and community leaders.  This is a focused event for clergy and community leaders to explore the exhibit with NMNH Human Origins Program scientific and education staff and BSIC members. The agenda for discussion following the tour will be coordinated with input from the local consultation panel. Ideally, one or two local, respected clergy and community leaders will work with the BSIC co-chairs to invite their local colleagues to this event. Check out this link to the BSIC’s Primer on Science, Religion, Evolution, and Creationism ahead of time. Details here.

Thursday 12/5/24, 3:30-6:00 pm: Educator Workshop! 

The workshop is for classroom teachers, science and nature center and museum educators, homeschoolers and other local educators. It will feature exploration and hands-on practice in presenting the Human Origins Program resources provided for each community. These resources include a set of five early human skull casts; classroom-tested, high-school biology teaching supplements on “What does it mean to be human?,” and a teacher resource on cultural and religious sensitivity strategies. Details here

Thursday 12/5/24, 6:30 -8:00 pm: Community Conversation: “What Does it Mean to Be Human?,” led by BSIC co-chairs Drs. Connie Bertka and Jim Miller. Join with other members of your community to explore together a variety of answers to the question “What does it mean to be human?” in small group discussions led by Drs. Connie Bertka and Jim Miller (co-chairs of the Smithsonian Broader Social Impacts Committee – BSIC). As part of these conversations we will consider how answers to this question might intersect with a scientific understanding of human origins as displayed in the exhibit.Details here

Tuesday, 12/10/24, 6:30 pm: New England’s Stone Walls: Stories and Conservation Priorities (virtual)

New England stone walls are the signature landform of rural New England. The vast majority are artifacts of a vanished agricultural civilization that are freighted with stories that can be interpreted. During his presentation, Professor Thorson will provide an overview of the subject with an emphasis on their symbolism, and will end with suggestions for conservation. Details and register  here.

Saturday, 12/14/24, 2:00 pm: What Darwin Really Said (and what he didn’t).

Charles Darwin has been one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted, misquoted, and even misused of scientists. Join us for a lecture that will address these issues, with special reference to human origins and evolution. This lecture and discussion will be presented by Michael Alan Park, Ph.D. Details here

Join our virtual film series, Humans in History: Mondays at 7pm, from 11/18-12/9. Listings and details here

Tuesday, 12/17/24: 6:30 pm: The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity/Author Event with Dr. Timothy C. Winegard  (in-person)

From New York Times bestselling author of The Mosquito, the incredible story of how the horse shaped human history.  Dr. Timothy C. Winegard’s  The Horse is an epic history unlike any other. Its story begins more than 5,500 years ago on the windswept grasslands of the Eurasian Steppe; when one human tamed one horse, an unbreakable bond was forged and the future of humanity was instantly rewritten, placing the reins of destiny firmly in human hands.  Dr. Timothy C. Winegard is a New York Times bestselling author of five books including The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator. He holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, served as an officer in the Canadian and British Armies, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, television programs, and podcasts. Winegard is an associate professor of history at Colorado Mesa University. Details here

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We are proud that Avon Library was chosen as one of six public libraries nationwide to host this exhibition organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the American Library Association. Based on a popular exhibition at the museum in Washington, D.C., the exhibition explores the process of scientific investigation by communicating not only what we know about human origins but also how we know it. The touring schedule for this exhibit is:

• Yuma County Library District (Yuma, AZ): Friday, December 1, 2023 — Monday, January 15, 2024
• Broward County Libraries Division (Fort Lauderdale, FL): Wednesday, May 29 — Thursday, August 1, 2024
• Avon Free Public Library (Avon, CT): Sunday, December 1, 2024 — Wednesday, January 15, 2025
• Campbell County Public Library (Newport, KY): Thursday, May 29 — Friday, August 1, 2025
• Rio Rancho Library and Information Services (Rio Rancho, NM): Monday, December 1, 2025 — Thursday, January 15, 2026
• Host Period 6 – Spartanburg County Public Libraries (Spartanburg, SC): Friday, May 29 — Friday, July 31, 2026

Save America’s Treasures Spotlight: Finishing Touches

As we worked on our Save America’s Treasures Project, we showcased items we’ve scanned, carefully repackaged with archival products, or discovered within the collection.  Thank you for supporting our project! 

November & December 2024: Finish Touches

We’re at the end of our two year project! Special thanks to Public Works for assembling our new horizontal display case:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The restored Hadsell violin is in its own case, complete with nameplate:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Save America’s Treasures project, by the numbers, includes:

24,512 Avon items from 1800-1900 being scanned and uploaded to CTDA

791 Avon items being audited, repackaged into archival storage, and entered into CT Collections

164 views of the restored Hadsell violin being played 

22 months of scanning, uploading, and archival packaging

7 linear feet being added to the history room collection, bringing the total to 305 linear feet

2 display cases being purchased: one horizontal style for outside the history room, one vertical style to protect the Hadsell violin

1 violin from the Hadsell family being restored by Seery Strings. 

 

October 2024: New History Room Shelves

Our old history room shelves were a bit short, length wise, when it came to supporting archival boxes; we couldn’t fill both sides with records, as they’d pop out constantly. (This Jenga, but with boxes…)

Our new shelves allow for two sides of archival boxes, essentially doubling our storage space! Special thanks to Public Works for assembling everything for us.

     

August 2024: Inventorying Pine Grove Schoolhouse

August always signals back-to-school, and in this case we filled the month with the inventorying, photographing, and listing of items in Pine Grove School on CT Collections.     This local tourism site is listed on the National and State Register of Historic Places. Learn more here. 

 

July 2024: Pierced Tin Foot Warmer

What’s better than thinking about cool fall nights in the middle of summer?  “If you were travelling in cold weather you would hope to have a foot warmer of some kind in your unheated carriage, sleigh, or train compartment. In the 17th and 18th centuries a pierced metal carrier for hot coals was a common solution for anyone who could afford one. They went on being used in the 19th century, while other styles of foot warmer came along too.” (Learn more here) View the full listing of this item here

 

June 2024: Northington Town Records

Before Avon incorporated in 1830, it was called Northington, and was part of Farmington.  We’re digitizing the oldest records of Northington, 1752-1831, and uploading them to the CT Digital Archive. The Farmington Libraries maintain the originals; our librarians are sorting through the data to find patterns, common names, and overlapping details. The first United States census didn’t occur until 1790–so these records give us a snapshot of Northington’s population before then.  Explore the collection here

 

Late April 2024: Hadsell’s Violin

Listen to Michael of Seery Strings (https://seerystrings.com/) play the Hadsell violin, restored by his company after years of disrepair. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xILapGgg5dI) This violin is an Amati copy, post WWI, and it belonged to Clinton Hadsell (1871-1947), Avon resident. Donated by a descendant in 2006, the violin is one of many items from the Hadsell family. Learn more about their family by viewing our digital collection here: http://hdl.handle.net/11134/150002:19842. The violin is on display in the history case of the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd., Avon, CT, 06001 through the month of May, 2024.

Photos of the violin before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos after restoration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 2024: Moving Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

After months of work, the Avon Historical Society’s collection of items from 1800-1900 were moved out of storage and into their permanent location at the Avon History Museum.  Special thanks to the Avon Public Works Department, who helped move over 100 boxes into their new home.  All of the items in the collection can be viewed here. 

March 2024: Let’s play checkers, let’s play chess

One of the coolest examples of recycling, repurposing, and crafting (all modern words, we know) that we’ve come across is this wooden box lid that doubles as a gameboard. One side says, “Hadsell, Avon, Conn” and the other side is painted with black boxes to allow for chess or checkers. We can date it to the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, based on what we know about Clinton and Frank Hadsell. Which would you play?

 

January 2024:  Care to have lunch in a porringer?

If you lived in Colonial New England, your main meal may be served in a porringer, a round bowl made of pewter or silver, with a handle on one side.

Learn more about the history of this unique item here, and view the entry from our collection here

 

December 2023:  Ice skating, anyone?

It’s winter, it’s cold, and the local ponds have frozen over. If it’s the 1800’s, the options for ice skates include styles like these:

In the late Victorian Era,  “people were advised to “not carry a stick, a muff, or anything that will impede the use of your arms while skating [and to] never throw stones onto the surface of a sheet of ice on which you are anyone else can possibly wish to skate.” Read more about the rules of skating, including the use of skating sleds by new skaters, click here.  This is just one of the many items in the Avon Historical Society’s collection. 

 

November 2023:  Coffee Grinder

It’s an everyday activity that crosses time: preparing a cup of coffee.  This everyday object was donated by Miss Susie Wilcox, and was presumably owned by the Wilcox Family.  It’s painted white (not original), and says “Golden Rule Blend Coffee, the Finest Blend in the World” Citizen’s Whole. Co., Columbus, Ohio, on the front.  One can smell the beans and hear the crunch of the grinder, and imagine what the family is discussing as they enjoy their first cup of the day. View the listing here.

 

July 2023: 1901 Signature Pillow

We’ve been busy entering items from the Avon Historical Society’s collection into CT Collections, the new online catalog system that they’ve joined.  ConnecticutCollections (CTCo) is a project of the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO). A customization of CollectiveAccess software, CTCo provides heritage and arts organizations of any size with a tool to help them to both privately manage and publicly share their museum and archival collections. Learn more here

One of the treasures in the Avon Historical Society’s collection is this pillow dated March 4, 1901.

This pillow contains over 50 signatures, from names we all recognize: Bishop, Case, Chidsey, Ellsworth, Miller, North, and Woodford.  Over a dozen of the names are male; the rest are female.  Each person signed their name; then it was embroidered. Bits of personality show through: bold loops, dramatic capital letters, and clusters of family members who autographed together.

What was the event? Was it a wedding, a birth, or an anniversary? Was someone moving, and this was a keepsake to remember Avon? We’re curious about the stories this pillow has to tell.

Multiple pictures are of the pillow are available here.

 

April, 2023: Guy Thomson’s (1791-1845) Recipe Book

Hand written, with few measurements and no baking times (or temperatures), this collection of recipes also includes home remedies, making it snapshot of home economics in the 1800s.  The recipe for “Measles, to draw out” says to scrape the husk from the peach tree. Simmer it in cider. To be given hot or can be taken… and then the entry just ends.

The remedy for asthma is to “put salt into a bottle of brandy as much as can be dissolved. Use from the bottle for an adult; one tablespoonful with two spoonfuls of boiling water three times a day.” There are no instructions for children!

There’s a recipe for rusk, which none of us had ever heard of.  Rusk is a hard, dry biscuit or twice-baked bread (think of biscotti, croutons, or melba toast).

There are at least eight entries involving lemon or citron. Citron is a large fragrant citrus fruit that resembles a “huge, rough lemon”. There are a dozen or so entries for cake, including an eggless one, which sounds appealing given our 2023 egg prices…

If anyone wants to attempt these recipes, the reference librarians will be happy to taste test them! View the entire recipe book here.

Let us know if you decide to knit the cape, as well….

The Avon Library has scans of this item; the original is retained by the donor. Ephemera found in the recipe book was also scanned, and appears after the actual notebook pages. (#2022-016)

The table to contents/headings of Guy Thomson’s recipes and entries:

Loaf cake, Lady cake, Sponge cake, Coffee cake, Rusk, Poor man’s cake, Orange cake, Family [?] cake, Silver cake, Lemon Tart, Cream Pie, Cream Lemon Pie, Orange Pie, Cream Cake, Mrs. Stove’s Layer Cake, Sweet pickles, Lemon tarts, Eggless cake, Taffy, Butter Scotch [sic], Plain rice pudding, Graham Bread, Pop Corn Balls [sic], Remedy for Asthma, White mixture, Measles—to bring them out, Washing fluid, Liquid ammonia, H [?] soup, Dyes: yellow, Watermelon pickle, Citron, Insect pickle, Scalloped oysters, Citron preserves, Frosting for cake, Salad dressing, Corn patties, Biscuits, Sweet apple pickle, Crab apple pickle, Citron preserves, Citron sweet pickles, Grape [?], Polished furniture, Blue on cotton, Green on cotton, Red on cotton, [to color] crimson, Sore throat, Cramp in legs, Feet-ache, Delicate cake, Royal Baking Powder insert, Recipes from Egg-o-Gene, Duryeas’ improved corn starch recipes, Cape (yarn), Tapioca, [?] dumplings, Lemon Custard Pie, Fleishman’s selected recipes brochure

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February, 2023:  On Saturday, February 18, 2023, the Avon Historical Society and Avon Congregation Church showcased the recent donation of a quilt from the Woodford family. What started as a showcase for one textile became a “Quilt Reunion”, as shown in the pictures below.  We’re excited to showcase the textile work of women in Avon during the mid 1800’s. Full details/history on the quilt from Sophia, including all of the names of the women who worked on it, are available here. 

This quilt was a gift to Sophia Woodford, and has been donated to the Avon Historical Society by descendants of the Woodford family.

Pictured left to right: Peter Morgan, Eleanor Morgan, Chris Kraus, Mary Ann Antoniazzi, Martha Petrovick, Dave Petrovick, during the “Quilt Reunion”.

This quilt was a gift to Adaline Woodford; notice the star in the center:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adaline also quilted this pink and orange quilt:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophia created this quilt out of dress fabrics; the back says, “To Ellen Bill from Aunt Sophia 1897”

Visitors used magnifying glasses to view the signatures within each quilt block:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After an audience of 85 had viewed the quilts, they were carefully repackaged by Terri Wilson, Avon Historical Society President, for storage:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January, 2023: Using our new overhead scanner, we scanned a delicate sketchbook from the 1800’s that belonged to Carrie Woodford.  Her name appears inside the front cover, C.A. Woodford.  She is the daughter of CR and Harriet Woodford, and lived from 1857-1921. Carrie is the youngest of six children, and according to Janet Carville, one of our favorite Avon residents, she “was the “housekeeper”, as the others had either died or gone on with their professions. She was a brilliant artist, but never sold her paintings as far as Janet knows. 

Peruse Carrie Woodford’s sketchbook by clicking here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Avon Library receives a Save America’s Treasures Grant, in the amount of $50,016

Left to right: Michael Howser and Greg Colatti, CT Digital Archive; Rob Berman, Avon Library Board member; Lisa Berman, Friends of the Avon Library President; Donna Gianini, Avon Library Board member; Joan Resikin, Vice President, Friends of the Avon Library; Tina Panik, Reference & Adult Services Manager, Avon Library; Heddy Panik, Avon Historical Society Board member and history room volunteer; CT U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal; Glenn Grube, Avon Library Director; State Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw; Terri Wilson, Avon Historical Society President; Nora Howard, Town Historian; Brandon Robertson, Avon Town Manager; Barbara Ausiello, Avon Town Council.

Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Connecticut State Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw visited the Avon Free Public Library today (10/17/22) to congratulate them for their 2022 Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Save America’s Treasures Grant. This grant, in the amount of $50,016, will cover a two year project, beginning in November 2022.  This award is part of $24.25 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to fund 80 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia.  Save America’s Treasures, funded through the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), provided $356 million to more than 1,326 projects between 1999 and 2020. Requiring a dollar-for-dollar private match, these grants have leveraged more than $500 million in private investment and contributed more than 16,000 jobs to local and state economies. 

The Avon Free Public Library will use this federal grant to preserve and digitize objects relevant to the agrarian history of Avon. Their existing collection consists of 298 linear feet of historical material and includes cataloged books, as well a map cabinet with over 276 geographic maps. Nearly 20,000 items have been digitized for the CT Digital Archive .  This two year project will focus on digitizing collections of the Avon HIstorical Society from the National Register’s  Pine Grove Historic District consisting of four 19th-century farmsteads, a late 18th century house, and a restored Gothic Revival schoolhouse, and the separate National Register’s Avon Congregational Church, designed by local architect David Hoadley. 

This agrarian grouping is representative of Avon, Connecticut’s history, as reflected in the artifacts held within the archives, which contain ledgers, tools, clothing, household items, and photos from the Thompson and Woodford families who settled this area. The Woodford farm was established in 1666 and is one of the oldest farms still operating in Connecticut. Other names associated with Avon’s dairy, poultry, and tobacco farms were Alsop, Buckland, Colton, Delbon, Distin, Gold, Silver, Stone, Strong, Thompson, Watson, Westerman, and Viti.  

Farms, mills, blacksmith shops, taverns and dry goods stores began to punctuate Avon’s landscape during the mid 19th century. In the heart of this historic district is the Pine Grove Schoolhouse, built in 1865, which remained in use until 1949. The students and families from West Avon’s Pine Grove area comprise the majority of this project. Their photos, ledgers, journals, land deeds, books, household items, tools, and ephemera showcase the connections between residents and detail daily life during this era. 

 “The goal of this project is to connect all of the artifacts within our collection digitally, so that patrons and researchers can experience 24/7 access to Avon’s complete story as they explore life in the 19th century,” said Tina Panik, Project Director. 

The federal grant will expand the organization’s capacity by hiring an archivist to help assess, organize, store and digitize approximately 1,000 items from the Avon Historical Society’s collection, integrating access to materials within both the library and historical society’s collections.  

“These 1,000 items need professional archival assessment, storage, conservation, and digitization. These artifacts are temporarily housed in a climate controlled storage facility, as their home location, Schoolhouse #3, is in the process of a renovation, making this the perfect time to complete the work,” said Terri Wilson, Avon Historical Society President. 

Glenn Grube, Avon Library Director and Grant Administrator added, “The same dozen or so names populate our archives throughout the 1800-1900s, framing Avon as a New England town with a deeply interconnected social history.  Previously neglected from our archive projects, this segment of Avon’s history that incorporates the Pine Grove Historical District and Avon Congregational Church deserves our attention, preservation, and digitization focus.” 

Those interested in loaning items for scanning or donating items from the agrarian history of Avon to enhance the collections of the Avon Free Public Library or the Avon Historical Society can email historyroom@avonctlibrary.info for further instruction. 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)  is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov 

Sundays at Three, 2025 Music Concerts

Sundays at Three, sponsored by the Friends of The Avon Free Public Library

These free concerts, made possible by the Friends of The Avon Free Public Library, through their fundraising from Book Sales.  Their concerts take place in the library’s Community Room.  Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis until seating limit is reached.   Free tickets are available at the door starting at 2:15pm.   Doors open at 2:30pm.    Concerts are from 3:00pm – 4:00pm.

Jan. 26, 2025: I Feel the Earth Move: The Music of Carole King”          

This concert is a captivating musical tribute led by the national multi-award-winning Kala Farnham (Great American Song Contest, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project, Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, and more). From chart-topping hits to intimate ballads, “I Feel the Earth Move” is a celebration of King’s influential career, paying homage to King’s groundbreaking contributions to the music industry and capturing the essence of her remarkable journey as the most successful female songwriter of the latter half of the 20th century (US).

Feb. 9, 2025: Tribute to Anil Mody with Corbin Beisner, pianist

Anil A. Mody graduated from Tufts and MIT universities with degrees in mechanical and nuclear engineering. Anil worked as a nuclear engineer at Combustion Engineering, ABB and finally Westinghouse Electric. Anil had a lifelong love of classical music. Anil’s wife, Amee Mody, Avon Library Board’s VP, designed this event in his memory.  Corbin Beisner will present a classical piano concert of works by favorite classical composers.

Feb. 23, 2025: String of Pearls Big Band

Since 1980, String of Pearls Big Band has been performing the great sounds of Big Band Swing and The Great American Songbook from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.  From Count Basie and Benny Goodman to Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, we’re keeping this wonderful music alive for listeners and dancers of all generations.  Enjoy quality, family-friendly live performance entertainment with melodies that linger on!

March 9, 2025: Sweet Adelines/Women’s National Choir

Farmington Valley Chorus is an a cappella ensemble based in Simsbury, CT.   We are proud members of Sweet Adelines, International and recently placed in the top 25 at an international competition.   Come hear us sing Barbershop!

March 23, 2025: Simsbury Light Opera

In 1945, a group of theatre-loving employees of the Ensign-Bickford Company in Simsbury, Connecticut, started rehearsing Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. With their first performance, they became a part of Connecticut history, and The Simsbury Light Opera Company was born. Since that performance, SLOCO has produced at least one public performance every year, making us the oldest continuously performing community theatre company in Connecticut, and one of the oldest in the country.

March 30, 2025: Hot Cat Jazz Band

The Hot Cat Jazz Band is based in Wethersfield and is kept extremely busy performing at various venues across the state. At the Avon Library Concert, you will hear music that spans the decades with selections from the

1920’s – including Dixieland Jazz and songs from Tin Pan Alley

1930’s – Early Swing Standards of Cole Porter and Frank Sinatra

1940’s – Big Band Jazz of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman

1950’s – Early Rock and Roll of Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers

Guaranteed that you’ll leave the concert singing and tapping your toes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poverty: A Community Conversation

This fall, we’re hosting a series funded by the  Avon Greater Together Community Fund, in collaboration with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and Avon Friends for Equity. The Friends of the Avon Library are sponsoring the 9/27 film screening event.

This post will be updated as details are confirmed. All events are free to attend, and will be held in-person at the Avon Free Public Library, 281 Country Club Rd., Avon, CT 06001, unless indicated as a virtual event.

Poverty: lecture and discussion with Dr. Beth Merenstein

Join us for a lecture and discussion featuring Matthew Desmond’s book, Poverty.  This event will be led by Dr. Beth Merenstein, with audience questions moderated by Carrie Firestone.  Copies of Poverty are available at the reference desk on the first floor of the Avon Library. Please read before this event!

About Poverty, by America: In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond educates us as to why poverty exists in America, how it touches all of us, and that there are ways to help eradicate poverty and create equity, starting with understanding the current crisis. 39% of Connecticut residents struggle to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Many in town might not realize that, in Avon alone, roughly 5% or 1,000 residents live below the poverty level. This series draws on history, research, and original reporting to show that the more we understand the reasons behind these numbers, the more able we are to change the old model that keeps poor people poor. Join us for these programs to unpack the ideas in this book and become more informed as a town to do something about this. More details and register here. 

Film Screening & Panel Discussion of Fighting for Home

Saturday, September 28, 1:00 pm.

Join us for a screening of Fighting for Home: How Housing Policy Keeps Connecticut Segregated, followed by a panel discussion.  This program is a bonus program in our Poverty: a community conversation series.  The legacy of exclusionary zoning and redlining imposed a painful divide we see today in our state’s current housing crisis. Our towns and cities are segregated by race and class because of systemic barriers that have persisted over time. Witness the struggle and determination of those fighting for change.  Running time, 57 m, 36s.  Panel discussion members are:

Sabrina Buckwalter, Connecticut Public, Story Producer, Fighting for Home; Dan Polhamus, Chairman, Avon Town Council; Sean Ghio, Policy Director, Partnership for Strong Communities; Amy Arlin, Avon resident; Sarah White, Staff Attorney, CT Fair Housing. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Avon Library.  More details and register here

The Economics of Wealth Inequality in Connecticut (virtual event)

Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 7:00 via Zoom.

Join us for a panel discussion on the Economics of Wealth Inequality in Connecticut, moderated by Marisa Tassinari. Our panelists include Janée Woods Weber, Executive Director of She Leads Justice, and Keith Phaneuf, Budget Reporter for the CT Mirror.

More details and register here. Zoom links go out the day before the event.

Housing in Connecticut: a panel discussion

Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 6:30 pm

Join us for a panel discussion of Housing in Connecticut, moderated by Avon resident Carrie Firestone. Our panelists include:

Peter Harrison of Desegregate CT, Ginny Monk of CT Mirror, and CT State Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw. 

More details and register here.

 

Plus one more panel discussion that we’re still designing!

Unearthing History: 2024 Virtual Lecture Series

Unearthing History: The discovery of a 12,500 year old Paleo-Indian site along the Farmington River in Avon. Join us for a virtual series of lectures, sponsored by a grant from the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic Committee that will cover the many aspects of archaeology, with a focus on the Brian D. Jones Paleo-Indian discovery in Avon, Connecticut. All events begin at 7:00pm EST on Zoom.

This 2024 VIRTUAL HISTORY SERIES is sponsored by Avon Historical Society, Avon Free Public Library and Avon Senior Center, in partnership with the Avon Land Trust, Farmington River Watershed Association, and the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, CT.

Times are EST: Eastern Standard Time.  Events are free to attend. Webinars will be recorded; links appear at the end of this post and are available on the Avon Library’s YouTube Channel.

View the full 2024 series flyer here

Completed programs:

March 7  – The History of Archaeology in CT with Emphasis on Native Americans, presented by Nicholas Bellantoni, serves as the emeritus state archaeologist with the UCONN State Museum of Natural History and is adjunct associate research professor in the Department of Anthropology. He will take the audience through the history of archaeology in CT bringing it up to present day with new discoveries and the process during the work at the BDJ Site.   Watch the recording here

April 11  – Bioarchaeology in North America: Ethics, Issues and Where the Field Stands in 2024, presented by Alex Garcia-Putnam, PhD, University of New Hampshire.  He will talk about the field, basics of bioarchaeology, the lack of skeletal remains found in the United States and some of the reasons for, and implications of, that lack of data.  Watch the recording here

May 9  – Foraging in the Paleoindian Period: A Macrobotanical Analysis (tentative title), presented Katharine Reinhart, Project Archaeologist/Botanical Analyst, Archaeological and Historical Services, Inc, Storrs, CT. She will focus on the analysis of plant evidence from different sites to learn what they ate and where they found it.   Register here

September 19 –– Use and Sources Of Ohio Hopewell Fossil Shark Teeth, presented by Katherine Sterner, Ph.D., RPA; Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Criminal Justice; Director, Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab.  Learn more about Katherine here.  

Fossil shark teeth recovered from Ohio Hopewell sites represent a quintessential example of an exotic good representative of the Hopewell Interaction Sphere. As with most artifacts, the primary questions asked of fossil shark teeth in archaeological contexts are (1) what were they used for and (2) where did they come from? View the recording here.

October 10 – Paleoindian Discoveries in America

Presented by Brad Lepper, Senior Archaeologist, World Heritage Program, Ohio History Connection. The Paleoindian discovery America was the last great human migration into an unpeopled world. It is the foundation of all that came after it across the Indigenous Americas. Archaeologists are still seeking the answers to many of the most important questions about this first chapter in American history. When did people first arrive in this hemisphere? How did these people so quickly occupy and adapt to the many varied environments of North and South America? What effect did the arrival of humans have on the many large species of mammals living across these two continents? The answers to these and other questions will be explored in this presentation. View the recording here. View the handout Lepper handout from lecture

 

Questions? Email Terri Wilson, President Avon Historical Society, president@avonhistoricalsociety.org