Library News

Jacob Edwards Library

September 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, September 1st in observance of Labor Day.

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, September 5th, 19th & 26th

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.

Fragments of Color by Miguel Ortiz

Meet & Greet

Thursday, September 4th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

Miguel Ortiz is a Southbridge based multimedia artist. He attended Mass Art and has been working with various materials and styles since then. More recently he took a class in stained glass with Katherine Oakes. His work includes fine art, restoration, woodworking and stained glass. "Fragments of Color" is Miguel’s first solo show and he is pleased it is being held during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

How Money Works

Thursday, September 11th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a seminar with Mike Ford, financial advisor and broker agent with PFS Investments.

Mike will discuss many aspects of money to provide a deeper understanding of how manage debt, build wealth and make solid choices along the way. 

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

The Beat Goes On:

Poetry Reading with Bill Tremblay and Linda Wlodyka

Monday, September 15th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to present The Beat Goes On, a reading by two contemporary American poets with roots in the Beat tradition - Southbridge poet laureate Bill Tremblay and Massachusetts Beat Poet Linda Wlodyka, appointed by the National Beat Poetry Foundation. After the readings, the poets will sign and dedicate copies of their books for sale.

Bill's book, "Southbridge: My Triggering Town" celebrates the town during the 1940s and '50s when he was growing up; proceeds from sales will go toward establishing the Bill Tremblay Poetry Prize for citizens of Worcester County.

Linda's book is entitled "If Brambles Were Bookends." Linda lives in Florence, MA. She graduated from Berkshire Community College and earned a degree in Environmental Sciences. Her poems have been widely anthologized throughout the United States, and she is a popular performer of her own works throughout southern New England. She is a member of the Florence Poet’s Society and has recently been involved with reading poems submitted in the yearly anthology, "Silkworm."

Sponsored by Friends of Jacob Edwards Library.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the group will read and discuss My Broken Language by Quiara Alegria Hudes in September.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and co-writer of In the Heights tells her lyrical story of coming of age against the backdrop of an ailing Philadelphia barrio, with her sprawling Puerto Rican family as a collective muse.



"Quiara Alegria Hudes was the sharp-eyed girl on the stairs while her family danced in her grandmother's tight South Philly kitchen, 'frizzy hair cut short, bangs teased into stiff clouds, sweat glistening in the summer fog, pamper-butt babies weaving between legs.' Quiara was awed by her aunts and uncles and cousins, but haunted by the secrets of the family and the unspoken stories of the barrio - even as she tried to find her own voice in the sea of language around her, written and spoken, English and Spanish, bodies and books, Western art and sacred altars. Her family became her private pantheon, a gathering of powerful orishas with tragic wounds and she vowed to tell their stories--but first she'd have to get off the stairs and join the dance; she'd have to find her language. This is an inspired exploration of home, family, memory, and belonging, narrated by the obsessed girl who fought to become an artist so she could capture the world she loved in all its wild and delicate beauty."-- Provided by publisher. 

Carlos Odria Trio

Thursday, September 18th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host the talented and well-known ensemble Carlos Odria Trio for a performance in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Carlos Odria Trio is a high-energy fusion band that performs original compositions and arrangements of jazz standards and Latin American popular music. The group has established itself as a channel of Latin heritage with a twist and has charmed audiences throughout the state and beyond.

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

Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band

Thursday, September 25th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Jacob Edwards Library is pleased to host a performance by Ezekiel's Wheels Klezmer Band.

Members of the band are:

Abigale Reisman (violinist, composer, improviser, and educator)

Kirsten Lamb (double bassist and vocalist)

Nat Seelen (clarinetist, composer and writer)

Pete Fanelli (trombonist, teacher and jazz improviser)

Internationally-acclaimed Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band brings passion, virtuosity, and contagious energy to every performance. The Wheels improvise with the intimacy of chamber music and the intensity of a rowdy dance band. Their engaging contemporary interpretation of Jewish music is irresistible to audiences ranging from elementary school students to the judges at the International Jewish Music Festival, who heralded them as “a true musical democracy.”

The Wheels’ unique style was forged in the subway stations and farmers’ markets of Boston, where the informal setting and ever-changing audience created an ideal environment for musical experimentation. They honed their craft with bulgars and 90’s pop covers for the morning rush hour and mixed doinas and zhoks with fresh produce on the weekends, building a community of fans and friends across the city. As their tightly coordinated but playful style matured, they moved on to larger and more discerning audiences, and in 2012 they won both the jury-awarded City Winery Prize for best klezmer ensemble and the Audience Pick Award at the third biennial International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. This success opened a new chapter in the band’s ongoing saga that included high-profile performances at the Kennedy Center, the Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Yidstock. Over time, their repertoire grew to incorporate original as well as traditional instrumental tunes, and in 2017 it further expanded to include songs in Yiddish and English.

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

Nuestro Southbridge: Latino History Project

Thursday, September 29th

6:30 - 7:30 pm

The Nuestro Southbridge Latino History Project is a grassroots initiative to document, preserve, and celebrate the rich legacy of Latino families in Southbridge, Massachusetts - from the 1950s to today.

Founded and led by Elizabeth Cruz, President of both the Latin American Business Organization (LABO) and Empowering Latina Leaders Affirmation (ELLA), along with Jasmin Rivas, Southbridge Town Councilor; Severina Rios, affectionately known as the Madrina of Southbridge; Charles Diaz, owner of Reel401 Productions; and Jesus Suarez, CEO of Renaissance Medical Group (RMG)—this project honors the first Latino families who laid roots in Southbridge and paved the way for future generations. This dedicated founding steering committee is made up of passionate community leaders committed to uplifting Latino voices and preserving our shared history.

Latino families have made significant contributions to the cultural, economic, and civic life of Southbridge. From being the first Latino families to purchase homes and open bodegas, beauty salons, and local businesses, to working in factories and stepping into civic leadership, their resilience and hard work opened doors and created opportunities for others. Their legacy continues to shape and strengthen the community today.

Our mission is to collect photos, stories, and artifacts that tell our story - of migration, perseverance, and impact. This is a celebration of our collective heritage.

The Secret History

Donna Tartt

"These are the confessions, years afterward, of a young man who found at a small Vermont college the life of privilege and intellect he'd long coveted - and rarely has the glorious experience of youth infatuated with knowledge and with itself been so achingly realized. Then, amazed, Richard Papen is drawn into the ultimate inner circle: five students, worldly and self-assured, selected by a charismatic classics professor to participate in the search for truth and beauty. Together they study the mysteries of ancient Greek culture and spend long weekends at an old country house, reading, boating, basking in an Indian summer that stretches late into autumn. Mesmerized by his new comrades, Richard is unaware of the crime which they have committed in his dreamy, unwitting presence. But once taken into their confidence, he and the others slowly and inevitably begin to believe in the necessity of murdering the one classmate and friend who might betray both their secret and their future." - 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

September 22nd 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, September 8th 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