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- The Main Library will be closed on Sundays for the summer starting June 23. Reopens on October 5.
- The Fowler Branch Library will be closed on Saturdays in July and August.
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In this issue: Adult Programs - Virtual Films at Fowler - Children's Programs - From Special Collections
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Fowler Afoot
Wednesday, June 25, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Fowler Branch
We will meet at the Fowler Branch Library at 10:00 a.m. and then walk together on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. For June, we will have the opportunity to talk with the Library's current Writer-in-Residence, Steve Edwards, about his 2010 memoir Breaking into the Backcountry. Copies are available to check out at the Fowler Branch. [Register for Fowler Afoot]
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Words Move Theater Company "Mixed Messages"
Thursday, June 26, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join WordsMove Theater for "Mixed Messages", Five Short Humorous Plays by Jack Neary. Jack Neary is a Massachusetts playwright who has written, acted and directed plays throughout the U.S.A. and Canada. His plays features wry, humorous commentaries on everyday life as well as life in the theater world. This 60 minute show is not suitable for children. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Register for "Mixed Messages"]
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Monthly Open Boardgaming for Adults
Saturday, June 28, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Come join a pickup board game or card game from the Library’s collection with local resident Matt Ryan. Each month Matt will borrow a fresh couple of games to have ready. You can also borrow what you want to play and recruit attendees into your game. This event is for adults who want everyone to have fun. No registration required.
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The Conversation (1974)
Wednesday, June 25, 7:00 p.m.
(Discussion Date on Zoom)
A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert (Gene Hackman) has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on are in danger.
Please watch the film on Kanopy before the discussion. To register for the discussion and receive a Zoom link, send an email to the Coordinator of the program Randall Warniers at FilmsatFowler@concordlibrary.org. This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library.
[View Summer 2025 Film Discussion Schedule]
| | Main Library Children's Programs | | |
Summer Storytimes at the Main Library
Crafty Tuesday, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Toddler Time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
Baby Snugglebugs, Wednesdays, 11:30 a.m.
Alphabet, Fridays, 10:30 a.m.
Yoga and Movement, Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.
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Musical Mondays: Jammin' With You
Monday, June 23, 10:30 - 11:15 a.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Be prepared to laugh, dance, sing and jam your way through 30 minutes of non-stop family fun. Musical Mondays series is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. No registration required.
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LED Mini-Golf With One-Up Games (Ages 4+)
Tuesday, June 24, 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Register for a half hour session between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m.
Brighten up your family's evening with a round of 9-hole LED Mini-Golf presented by special guests from One-Up Games. This event is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. [Register for 2:30-3:00 p.m. slot] [3:00 - 3:30] [3:30-4:00] [4:00-4:30] [4:30-5:00] [5:00-5:30]
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Make-it! Club: Rainbow Edition
Wednesday, June 25, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
The Workshop, Main Library
Join us every Wednesday afternoon for an awesome craft, art project, or engineering puzzle. This week, make an awesome rainbow craft in celebration of Pride Month. For ages 5+ with caregiver. No registration required.
For more Children's programs at our Main Library, visit here.
| | Fowler Branch Children's Programs | | |
Read to a Dog at Fowler
Thursday, June 26, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Meeting Room, Fowler Branch
Join Samantha, a young golden retriever, for a 10-15 minute reading session. No advance registration required. This program is designed for developing readers of all ages.
| | From Special Collections: Thomas Jefferson’s Desk | | |
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on his portable desk, which was made by the well-known Philadelphia cabinetmaker Benjamin Randolph. The desk remained Jefferson's companion throughout his life.
In November 1825, Jefferson sent his desk as a gift to his grandson-in-law, Joseph Coolidge Jr., as a wedding gift. Jefferson informed his granddaughter of his intention in a letter dated November 14, “Mr. Coolidge must do me the favor of accepting this [gift]. Its imaginary value will increase with years, and if he lives to my age, or another half-century, he may see it carried in the procession of our nation's birthday, as the relics of the Saints are in those of the Church."
The desk remained in the Coolidge family until April 1880, when the family donated it to the U.S. government, which transferred it to the Smithsonian in 1921.
Numerous reproductions of the desk are available, including a limited number built in the late 19th century by cabinetmaker James Degges on behalf of Judge Henry Flagg French, father of renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French. Judge French served as the United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 1876 to 1885.
The reproductions of the desk commissioned by French are of such high quality that there have been numerous instances over the years of individuals erroneously claiming to own the original desk. Each replica also contains a copy of the letter written by Jefferson to his granddaughter, through a photographic method that makes it hard to distinguish it from the original.
Two of the reproductions of the lap desk are located at institutions in Concord, Mass: the Concord Museum and Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library. Judge French presented the Special Collections reproduction (pictured) to the Library on December 25, 1880.
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