Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

October 2025

Library Hours

Monday & Thursday 9 am - 8 pm

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9 am - 5 pm

Saturdays 9 am - 1 pm

Curbside pickup is available during library hours!

The Library will be closed on

Monday, October 13th in observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day.

A message from Margaret:

I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone in the community for your collaboration and support throughout my thirty years at Jacob Edwards Library. It has been an honor and a privilege.

The staff of the Library wishes Margaret the very best on her new adventure - you will be missed immensely!

Chess Park

This is a conceptual rendering of the future Chess Park that will be located on the Southeast corner of the Library accessible from Main Street. Joseph Coan, Landscape Architect created the rendering. The plan was approved at the Board of Trustees meeting on September 26, 2023. The Trustees, Staff, and Friends are very excited to share this future development for the community!

Donations to the chess park can be made in person at the Library (cash or check) or via the Town's website.

Mass Center for the Book 2025 Reading Challenge

The Jacob Edwards Library is thrilled to be partnering with Mass Center for the Book to promote their 2025 Reading Challenge. Pick up cards and bookmarks at the Circulation Desk and participate by following the steps below.

Library staff will happily help you find a book that fits the monthly theme - or see the display on the main floor for monthly suggestions. NoveList Plus is a great resource to utilize, as well (library card required). Happy reading!

How it works:

• Choose a book that fits the monthly challenge.
• After you read, fill out this form to tell them about the book. 
• Using the submission manager, you will be able to log in and access the entries you’ve logged throughout the year.
• Dedicated readers will be invited to a year-end celebration hosted by Mass Center for the Book.
• If you read a book in each of the 12 months, you will be entered in a drawing to win 1 of 2 totes filled with books. Additionally, they will be drawing two names on the last day of each month to win a free book!

hoopla Spotlight

Mindfulness Meditation

Fridays, October 10th, 17th, 24th, & 31st

2:00 - 3:00 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host Iris Vega, certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher and mentor, to present a series of sessions.

Inviting Mindfulness Meditation into your daily routine is an opportunity to cultivate awareness and presence.

You may bring your Yoga mat if you prefer doing the practice lying down.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

"Local Area Trails & Waterways": Photography by Ray Arnold

Meet & Greet

Thursday, October 2nd

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a photography show by Ray Arnold. "Local Area Trails & Waterways" will be on display throughout the month of October.

Ray Arnold lives in Southbridge, MA and is the administrator for the Friends of Southbridge Trails Facebook page. Since he was a kid, he has always enjoyed the beauty of nature, which is why he decided to capture these wonderful places in photographs for all to view.

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

Flamenco Boston

Thursday, October 9th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to welcome back Flamenco Boston - a troupe of dancers, vocalist and guitarist that has charmed the Southbridge audience on many occasions. The show is a colorful, high energy show - not to be missed! It is part of the library's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Flamenco is an eclectic art form originating from the cultural melting pot that was the South of Spain, blending together the influences of the native Andalusians, Moors, Sephardic Jews, Indians, and the Roma people. The performance will include various dance and musical pieces, to showcase the diversity and wide emotional range of this art form. Talks about the history of Spain and flamenco would take place before each performance piece to give the audience insight and context for each piece.

This program is sure to have wide appeal for people of all ages and backgrounds but particularly those who have an interest in LIVE dance, guitar, and singing especially in relation to Spanish and Gitano culture, history, dance and music.

Sponsored by the Southbridge Cultural Council. The Southbridge Cultural Council is a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

In October, the group will discuss Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck.

From publisher:

"A New York Times Editors’ Choice, a USA TODAY Bestseller, a Booklist Editor’s Choice, a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee, a 'beautifully written' (Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See) debut novel of marriage, motherhood, metamorphosis, and letting go, this intergenerational love story begins with newlyweds Wren and her husband, Lewis - a man who, over the course of nine months, transforms into a great white shark.

For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis. He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams. At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds. Woven throughout this 'heart-wringing' (Adam Roberts, internationally bestselling author of Salt) novel is the story of Wren’s mother, Angela, who becomes pregnant with Wren at fifteen in an abusive relationship amidst her parents’ crumbling marriage. In the present, all of Wren’s grief eventually collides, and she is forced to make an impossible choice. A sweeping love story that is at once lyrical and funny, airy and visceral, Shark Heart is an unforgettable, gorgeous novel about life’s perennial questions, the fragility of memories, finding joy amidst grief, and creating a meaningful life. This daring debut marks the arrival of a wildly talented new writer abounding with originality, humor, and heart."

WCAC Community Survey

Monday, October 20th

2:00 - 3:00 pm

Please join the Worcester Community Action Council and our community nonprofit partners as we present the results of our recent Community Needs Assessment for the Southern Worcester County region. This is your opportunity to learn about the most pressing needs and challenges facing our communities. Your engagement will help guide our ongoing efforts to provide the services that matter most.

For more information, visit:

https://wcac.net/community-resources/community-needs-assessment-for-southern-worcester-county/

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards

Thursday, October 23rd

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Mark & Raianne are a married couple who entertain with unmistakable vocal harmonies, poetic lyrics, and down-to-earth personae. These musically talented artists have contributed over seventeen albums within their first decade and toured consistently throughout the US and Canada. These artists blend distinctive voices with rich tantalizing harmonies and a wide range of accompaniment (guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, ukulele, clarinet, penny whistle, electric bass, pedal steel, dobro, piano and upright bass) featuring original and traditional acoustic Folk/Americana songwriting. Their live performances are both musically captivating and spiritually uplifting as audiences are carefully balanced between serious songs and humorous commentary.

In addition to writing and performing, Mark and Raianne have founded the Massachusetts Walking Tour. Since 2010 the annual tour raises awareness of local greenspace throughout their home state, organizing daily public hikes and free community concerts each June.

In 2024 Mark and Raianne established a board and helped form a 501(c)3 non-profit entity Blackstone Valley Music and Performing Arts Collaborative (BVMPAC) where they also serve as music educators for local community music school Blackstone Valley Music located in Uxbridge Massachusetts, leading one-on-one private lessons, yearly rock band camps for teens, a monthly community coffeehouse and open mic, a new student orchestra and community ukulele groups.

Making Promises (2024) is the fourth eponymous studio release by contemporary folk songwriters Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards. This album replete with poetic lyrics, sophisticated musical arrangements, and mellifluous vocal harmonies will be a welcome addition to your collection from their twenty-year partnership. Much of the material inspired by their recent marriage in 2021 reflects on themes of love, desires, perseverance and promises, with much of the music sparsely arranged as duets with upright bass accompaniment by longtime friend Zack Ciras (see indie-folk trio the accident that led me to the world). Two compositions recorded between 2021-2023 include bandmates Doug Williamson (piano) and Peter Hart (pedal steel), with the majority recorded in Northfield Massachusetts during December 2023.

For more information on Mark and Raianne, concert dates, music, and video, please visit www.markandraianne.com. Follow them on social media @markandraianne

Sponsored by the Southbridge Cultural Council. The Southbridge Cultural Council is a local agency funded by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Beekeeping

Thursday, October 30th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to present Ken Warchol, beekeeper and program director of the Worcester County Beekeepers Association.

Ken has been keeping bees for over 70 years and is the apiary inspector for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was part of the Harvard University team studying Colony Collapse Disorder and maintains over 125 hives all over Central Massachusetts

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

House of Bone and Rain

Gabino Iglesias

"For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree. Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order. Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide." - Provided by publisher.

Mass Center for the Book

Student Reading Challenge

The Jacob Edwards Library is thrilled to be partnering with Mass Center for the Book to promote their Student Reading Challenge. Pick up your passport at either the Reference or Circulation Desk or at the display in the Teen area and participate by following the steps below:

• Choose a book that fits the monthly challenge prompt. Library staff will happily help you find a book that fits the monthly theme - or see the display in the Teen area for monthly suggestions.
• Once you have read your book, bring your Passport to the Reference or Circulation Desk and tell them what you read. They will give you a sticker for that month.
• Each month, the student (and a parent/guardian if the student is under 13) can fill out a short form to tell us about the book and enter into a raffle. Mass Center for the Book will run drawings for prizes. Monthly participation determines eligibility.

Have fun and happy reading!

Mass Center for the Book

Student Reading Challenge

June 2025 - May 2026

The Jacob Edwards Library is thrilled to be partnering with Mass Center for the Book to promote their Student Reading Challenge. Pick up your passport in the Children's Room and participate by following the steps below:

• Choose a book that fits the monthly challenge prompt. Library staff will happily help you find a book that fits the monthly theme.
• Once you have read your book, bring your Passport to the Children's Room Circulation Desk and tell them what you read. They will give you a sticker for that month.
• Each month, the student (and a parent/guardian if the student is under 13) can fill out a short form to tell us about the book and enter into a raffle. Mass Center for the Book will run drawings for prizes. Monthly participation determines eligibility.

Have fun and happy reading!



Board of Trustees

The next meeting of the Board of Trustees is scheduled for

October 28th at 12 pm.

Details will be available on the Town of Southbridge website, under Public Meetings Calendar, for all public meetings.

All meetings are open to the public.

The mission of the Friends of the Jacob Edwards Library is to be the advocacy and fundraising arm of the Library. We raise money for items such as library programs, books, subscriptions, museum pass memberships, and other materials, as needed. 

The next meeting of the Friends is scheduled for

Monday, October 6th at 1 pm.

New members are always welcome!

See you at the library and keep reading!

Jacob Edwards Library

508.764.5426

jelibrary@cwmars.org