Looking for a good book? Here are some that JEL staff have recently enjoyed! Clicking on the title will take you right to

A retired Sherlock Holmes looks back on his life, and grapples with an unsolved case involving a beautiful woman.

Rated PG. Running time 104 min.

Presented as part of the Library Box Office series, sponsored by the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library.

Please join us for traditional Irish music with Doolin, and their Evening in Ireland concert. Free, and open to the public!

In County Clare Ireland, surrounded by the beauty of Burren, the Cliffs of Moher and the Aran Islands, lies the seaside village of Doolin. Musicians from around the world travel to this capital of Irish traditional music seeking inspiration. They join with the locals expressing themselves in musical conversations in the nightly seisi ú ns that are the heartbeat of Irish life.

It is this same inspiration that brought John Ebersold and Tim Loftus together to form Doolin. With John on vocals and guitar, and Tim on flute, whistle, and bodhr á n, Doolin delivers a unique blend of music designed for audiences of all ages. From toe-tapping jigs, reels, and hornpipes to songs of the sea and heartfelt ballads, Doolin will leave you wanting to hear more!

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

The Town of Southbridge turns 200 in 2016! Visit  southbridge200.org for information on all of the upcoming events! Mark your calendars for the Grand Parade, coming up on Saturday, May 14th!

Also, keep an eye on Southbridge Community Television's YouTube channel, where you can watch the Celebrating Southbridge series with Town Manager Ron San Angelo. Episode 3 introduces the Bicentennial Committeee Co-Chairmen, and discusses the events planned.

And don't forget to like the Bicentennial on Facebook to keep up with the latest news!

Manisha Sinha who will present a program on her newly released book The Slave's Cause on Thursday, March 24th at 6:30 pm. Light refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Jacob Edwards Library and all are welcome!

Manisha Sinha is Professor and Graduate Program Director of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She was born in India and received her doctorate from Columbia University where her dissertation was nominated for the Bancroft prize. She is currently working on a co-authored History of the South to be published by the University of North Carolina Press, an essay on the history of black abolitionism for a Routledge anthology, and an article on the abolitionist roots of Radical Republicanism for a collection that will be published by W.W. Norton. She is co-editor of the "Race and the Atlantic World, 1700-1900," series of the University of Georgia Press. She has written for the The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Huffington Post, and the History News Network. She has appeared on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show and was a consultant and on-screen expert for the Emmy nominated PBS documentary, The Abolitionists (2013), which is a part of the NEH funded Created Equal film series.

"Lucidly written, compellingly argued and based on exhaustive scholarship, 'The Slave's Cause' captures the myriad aspect of this diverse and far-ranging movement and will deservedly take its place alongside the equally magisterial works of Ira Berlin on slavery and Eric Foner on the Reconstruction Era...." Fergus M. Bordewich, The Wall Street Journal 2/20/2016

Matthew Price in the Boston Globe writes "The Slave's Cause" is a multifaceted as the movement it chronicles. Sinha includes lenghty thematic chapters on women in the fight and how abolition linked up - and clashed with - other reform movements...."
 

Thomas Daly, Curator of Education at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge  will present an illustrated talk, reviewing the Rockwell body of work with a focus on advertising done for companies in Western/Central Mass. This will include Fisk Tire, Mass Mutual and American Optical as well as others.
 
The Norman Rockwell Museum  presents the world's largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art , including beloved paintings from The Saturday Evening Post  and the Four Freedoms , and the best in the field of American illustration . Experience Rockwell's art , life and legacy in the artist's picturesque New England  hometown of Stockbridge, Massachusetts  nestled in the culturally rich Berkshires .

Please join us to learn more about the fascinating work of the museum and this quintessential  American artist and his work.

NEW MONTHLY PROGRAM!

Action Story Time

Saturday, March 5th

11:00 am

Look what's new in the Children's Room!

 

     We have a new display board for children to use.             This large, colorful area is a perfect place to show off your art work, poetry,  short stories, and other creations.  Just let us know if you have an item you would like us to display. 

 

The Jacob Edwards Library Children's Room has a wonderful

new puppet theater! Thanks to a donation from a retired educator

in memory of her colleague and friend Mary Puracchio.  Mary was a

supporter of the Jacob Edwards Library, the arts and drama, and an elementary teacher in the Southbridge School System.

 

Thank you to Bay Path Vocational High School students and teachers for refurbishing 

two chairs for the Children's Room. They make a perfect seating

area for our new puppet theater!