Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

January 2024

Library Hours

Monday & Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9 am - 5 pm

Saturday 9 am - 1 pm

Curbside pickup is available during library hours!

Chess Park

Jacob Edwards Library and Southbridge Chess Club are in the preliminary stages of developing a chess park on Main Street, at the south east corner of the property! The Board of Trustees has been working with Joseph Coan Landscape Architect and this is a concept rendering of the proposed park. Stay tuned for updates!

January Art Exhibit

Watercolors by Lucinda Marie Lickver

Meet & Greet

Thursday, January 4th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to present an exhibit of watercolors by Lucinda Marie Lickver.

From the artist:

"My name is Lucinda Marie Lickver. I am a Watercolor Artist who has lived in the area for close to 30 years. 

I had studied art in Boston, Massachusetts back in 1969-1971. I like to think of that time as the explosion of free form and the the birth of pop art color. There were no limits, only those limits we placed upon ourselves. Our minds stretched further than what we could ever had imagined. Our time of innocence had been gratefully shaken and rocked to our very core. And there was the birth and the rise of watercolor becoming my choice of medium. Freedom....

Watercolor Painting is an art form that speaks in its very own language. It's a love that develops with giving the time necessary in exploring the power and the flow of water. It is this potent base that moves color in all sorts of wonderful directions. There is such a fine balance between mind and hand that goes into each and every stroke of the brush. 

Learning this art form was learning and understanding of one's own self. Teaching of patience and time, experiencing the beauty of nature in all of her forms has been quite the journey. 

Once confident in my ability I wished to share this art form with all those who were willing to learn and use this amazing tool and to travel their beautiful paths in colors they had only dreamed of. 

Last fall I opened up my home to a once a week Watercolor Workshop. I had so many who showed interest that opening a second evening a week was a must do on my to do list. 

It is an unstructured class, with unlimited opportunity to learn. I teach the blending of color, how to soften a stroke in a painting and also how to make a bold statement and to correct if and where necessary.  

Watercolor will forever be the balance between mind vs hand. We are of water, we therefore are, the natural balance of life."

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

From the publisher:

"For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late. 

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible."

Afternoon Author Talk

Melissa Torres

Wednesday, January 24th

2:00 - 3:00 pm

Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host an afternoon author talk with poet Melissa Torres.

From the author:

"Poetry has been a profound part of my life from an early age. I found it difficult to express to people at times or lacked support in those aspects. So, needing a way to express and release emotions as well as thoughts I turned to paper and pen. This gave me more value than I had realized at the time and grew into a deep love for myself and writing. I hope that you enjoy these writings, find inspiration for your own journey and courage to dive into your own passions."

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Poetry Reading: Jonathan Blake

Thursday, January 25th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is please to host a poetry reading by Jonathan Blake.

Jonathan Blake has been following the gospel of his heart for as long as he can remember. Writer, educator, arts activist/organizer - he makes his home in central Massachusetts. Currently, he teaches in the English department at Worcester State University 

From the author:

"In 1984 my parents purchased a small log cabin overlooking a pond in a sparsely inhabited valley at the end of a long dirt road in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. In time, with the coming of grandchildren and great grandchildren, the family built another cabin to accommodate the gatherings of the tribe. 

The rolling hills of the pastures on the horizon, the wildlife, the stillness needed for dreaming, have long been the wellspring for my writing. 

In the late 80’s, after a visit to our family cabin, the poet Bill O’Connell named the place Paradise. It remains a place where poems and peace can be found."

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

North Woods

by Daniel Mason

From the publisher:

"When a pair of young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A crime reporter unearths a mass grave - only to discover that the ancient trees refuse to give up their secrets. A lovelorn painter, a sinister conman, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As each inhabitant confronts the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive."

Database Spotlight

The Library provides FREE access to Ancestry Library Edition from within the Library. You may use our public computers or your own device to access the database.

Research your family history! Search the U.S. Federal Census from 1790 to 1940 as well as immigration, vital, military, court, church, and ethnic records. Explore city directories, the Social Security Death Index, and more.

TAG Meeting

Tuesday, January 16th

3:00 - 4:00 pm

Join our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) and help us improve our library services for teens. At TAG you will weigh in on library programs and services, earn volunteer hours, make new friends, and build your leadership skills.

Open to Southbridge students/residents ages 12-18. 

Join us on Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 10:30am

as we welcome back "Pied Potter Hamelin".

This is an all ages, family-friendly pottery wheel demonstration program with a focus on the arts, the exploration of creativity and techniques with a touch of history.

Hands-On: We will be passing from person to person a freshly made pot from the potter’s wheel and the chance to feel a dry and wet pot as it rotates on the wheel.

This program is supported by a grant from the Southbridge Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Sponsored by Southbridge Cultural Council.

Lego Club

Tuesdays

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Saturdays

10:30am-11:30am

Crafty Wednesday

All Day

 Every Week



See you at the library! Happy New Year!

Jacob Edwards Library

508.764.5426

jelibrary@cwmars.org