Zachary Melisi: A Fantastical Field Guide

Zachary Melisi’s exhibit of acrylic and watercolor painting entitled A Fantastical Field Guide: Artwork exploring fantastical subjects in the style and context of nature painting will be on display from April 30th – June 17th.   ......More

Zachary Melisi’s exhibit of acrylic and watercolor painting entitled A Fantastical Field Guide: Artwork exploring fantastical subjects in the style and context of nature painting will be on display from April 30th – June 17th.   vase_waitingtomarket_webcontemplation_web1treefolk_bonfire_web2golem_imitatethesculptor_web1alchemical_craftsmanship_web2   Zachary Melisi graduated from Colby-Sawyer College in 2017, with a BS in environmental science. He has since pursued a career in education and the arts, journeying through the wildest New England suburbs in search of the fantastical. He found it too, and shares his findings in a variety of media that blend influences from nature and landscape art with folklore and fairy tales. Zachary is currently living in the Boston area and spends his time painting and patiently teaching the local scrubland to read.  Follow at zacharymelisi.com  or @druidofsuburbs on social media

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States

Virtual Author Talk: Eat Your Ice Cream: A Compassionate and Humorous Roadmap to Wellbeing with Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us for an empowering conversation with health expert Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel as he shares his vision for living well and aging with purpose. In Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long an......More

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us for an empowering conversation with health expert Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel as he shares his vision for living well and aging with purpose. In Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life, he explores how to embrace health, happiness, and longevity without falling for quick fixes or unrealistic promises. In Eat Your Ice Cream, renowned physician Ezekiel J. Emanuel argues that life is not a competition to live the longest and that “wellness” shouldn’t be difficult it should be an invisible part of one’s lifestyle that yields maximum health benefits with the least work. Dr. Emanuel cuts through the noise with wit and good humor, giving readers just what they need: simple, high-impact, evidence-based guidelines on such issues as alcohol consumption, food and nutrition, exercise, sleep, and social engagement. Resisting the tide of the latest trends to extend life at all costs, Eat Your Ice Cream reveals that many of the tools for a long, healthy and meaningful life are already within reach. About the Author: Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, is the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, the Co-Director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute, and a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Emanuel is an oncologist and world leader in health policy and bioethics. He is a Special Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was the founding chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health and held that position until August of 2011. Dr. Emanuel is the most widely cited bioethicist in history. He has over 350 publications and has authored or edited 15 books. He regularly contributes to the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic.

Lapsit Storytime

Stories, bounces, and songs for babies 0-24 months and their grownups! The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information)....More

Stories, bounces, and songs for babies 0-24 months and their grownups! The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States

VIRTUAL: Celebrating 250 - The Intoxicating History Of The American Revolution

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.** Eighteenth-century Americans consumed a staggering amount of alcohol compared to us today. Drink influenced their politics, bui......More

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.** Eighteenth-century Americans consumed a staggering amount of alcohol compared to us today. Drink influenced their politics, built and sustained their relationships, and drove the economy. Booze was not a small part of colonial society, nor covertly consumed in private spaces—it was integral to American life. When the colonists rebelled against the British Empire, this culture of drink and taverns helped foster revolution. Join historian Brooke Barbier, author of Cocked and and Boozy: An Intoxicated History of the American Revolution, for a lively talk about the influence of tavern and drinking culture on the American Revolution. You’ll hear about the way alcohol influenced colonial resistance, soldiers on both sides of the war, and the creation of a new nation. You’ll see famous founders and lesser-known Patriots drink their way from British subjects into Americans. Register directly on Zoom HERE. Sponsored by the Tewksbury Friends of the Library. RECORDING NOTE: This program will NOT be recorded.

History Book Club

Join us for a virtual discussion of: Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776 by William Hogeland Copies of the book will be available at the Bacon Free Library.  Order your own copy HERE For details on how to attend thi......More

Join us for a virtual discussion of: Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776 by William Hogeland Copies of the book will be available at the Bacon Free Library.  Order your own copy HERE For details on how to attend this virtual meeting via Zoom, please contact [email protected] The Zoom link to the discussion will be sent at a later date. 

Virtual Author Talk: Apocalyptic Mayhem, Lava-Spitting Llamas, and One Very Sassy Cat: Surviving the Universe’s Most Twisted RPG with Matt Dinniman

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: libraryc.org/morseinstitute Hold onto your heart-patterned boxers! Matt Dinniman, New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular (and just plain wild) Dungeon Crawler Carl series, joins us to chat about his latest ......More

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: libraryc.org/morseinstitute Hold onto your heart-patterned boxers! Matt Dinniman, New York Times bestselling author of the wildly popular (and just plain wild) Dungeon Crawler Carl series, joins us to chat about his latest book, A Parade of Horribles. As chaos and mass panic spread outside the dungeon in the wake of Faction Wars, Carl and Donut find themselves on the tenth floor, where they’re forced to compete in a surprisingly normal set of tasks. Well, normal for the dungeon. Races. Get from point A to point B, and don’t come in last. After each race, they pick an upgrade for their vehicle and the track gets more challenging. It all seems a little too normal, a little too simple. Ignore those strange glitches that are occurring with increasing frequency. Don’t listen to those whispers about what’s happening on the mysterious eleventh floor, something the system AI calls A Parade of Horribles. Nobody, not even the showrunners, knows what that means. Just that the AI has ominously dubbed it “a coming-out party for the ages.” Everything is fine, Crawler. I repeat, everything is fine. Carl hates that it’s business as usual. The rules of this floor have taken away his agency. That just will not do. So Carl is planning a party of his own. It’s a plan so dangerous, so insane, he can’t even consult his friends lest the AI put a stop to it. Because if it goes wrong, it’s not just the end of Carl and Donut. No. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been. Register now for a fun-filled discussion you won’t want to miss! About the Author: Matt Dinniman is a writer and artist from Gig Harbor, Washington. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series along with several other books about the end of the world. He doesn’t really hate Cocker Spaniels, and he plays bass in one band.

Art For All: Take & Make Pride Friendship Bracelets

It’s Pride Month! Help us celebrate by picking up a Pride Friendship Bracelet Take & Make kit.  Call ahead for curbside pick-up. Or stop in and hang out while you make your bracelet at the library. *Available while supplies last

Français à la bibliothèque

BONJOUR !Vous parlez français ? Beaucoup, un peu, pas de problèmes. Venez nous rejoindre pour parler ou pour écouter.

All Together: Preschool Storytime

Join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for stories and songs! Outdoors, weather permitting. Bring along a blanket to get comfy. Note: if the weather is wet or below 55 degrees, we’ll move this storytime indoors. The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This pr......More

Join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for stories and songs! Outdoors, weather permitting. Bring along a blanket to get comfy. Note: if the weather is wet or below 55 degrees, we’ll move this storytime indoors. The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States

All Together: Preschool Storytime

Join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for stories and songs! Outdoors, weather permitting. Bring along a blanket to get comfy. Note: if the weather is wet or below 55 degrees, we’ll move this storytime indoors. The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This pr......More

Join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for stories and songs! Outdoors, weather permitting. Bring along a blanket to get comfy. Note: if the weather is wet or below 55 degrees, we’ll move this storytime indoors. The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States

Virtual Author Talk: Celebrate What Makes You, You with Zaila Avant-Garde

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: www.libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us for an uplifting virtual conversation with bestselling author and Scripps National Spelling Bee champ Zaila Avant-garde as we discuss her new picture book, Weird and Wonderful You, in......More

VIRTUAL PROGRAM Register for this author talk: www.libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us for an uplifting virtual conversation with bestselling author and Scripps National Spelling Bee champ Zaila Avant-garde as we discuss her new picture book, Weird and Wonderful You, in which she encourages young readers to embrace what makes them different. We are the weird. The wonderfully weird, that is. When others blend in, we stand out. Young readers will find joyful encouragement in this empowering celebration of individuality and self-acceptance. Through a motivating message and a series of inspiring quotes and affirmations, this book encourages readers to embrace their unique quirks and see them as strengths. It’s a colorful manifesto for anyone who has ever felt out of place or different, urging them to stand out, be proud, and stay true to themselves. This book is a perfect gift for anyone who needs a reminder that being weird is wonderful, from one of America’s most exciting and unique young voices.  About the Author: Zaila Avant-garde is a multi-talented powerhouse and a New York Times bestselling author, with success springing from all her endeavors. She was named SportsKid of the Year 2021 by Sports Illustrated Kids. She won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, making her the first African-American to win in almost 100 years of the competition. Avant-garde holds two Guinness World Records for her basketball prowess. Her success has been celebrated by the likes of Barack and Michelle Obama, LeBron James, and Dr. Jill Biden. Since winning the Bee, Zaila has appeared in a cameo role in Netflix’s “HUSTLE”, as well as NBA on TNT, and Peacock’s “Kid’s Tonight Show”. You can also see her displaying her basketball skills in brand campaigns for Carnival Cruise Lines, BYJU, Xbox, and Gymshark.

Lapsit Storytime

Stories, bounces, and songs for babies 0-24 months and their grownups! The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information)....More

Stories, bounces, and songs for babies 0-24 months and their grownups! The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States

VIRTUAL: Celebrating 250 -- Portraits Of A Revolution

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.** Explore American portraits painted and sculpted during the years leading up to, and the decades after, the Revolution. The idea......More

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.** Explore American portraits painted and sculpted during the years leading up to, and the decades after, the Revolution. The ideals, values and virtues expressly stated in our founding documents are easily identifiable in these portraits once we know how to “read” them. We will examine portraits of founding “fathers” and “mothers,” as well as of lesser-known individuals, as documents that can be read like texts. Examine the tradition of portraiture, and the influences of earlier art movements, artists, and artifacts, that inform these American portraits. Led by Inez McDermott, Professor Emerita of art history at New England College. She is a curator of art and history exhibitions at various museums and galleries throughout New England. Register directly on Zoom HERE. Sponsored by the Tewksbury Friends of the Library. RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

VIRTUAL: Celebrating 250 -- American Revolutionary Painter Charles Wilson Peale

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**  Charles Willson Peale was an exemplary patriot and served under George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Many ......More

**PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.**  Charles Willson Peale was an exemplary patriot and served under George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Many of his earliest portraits were miniatures painted on the battle fields. Peale then went on to paint hundreds of the Revolutionary patriot portraits, including at least 60 of George Washington. In 1784, Peale founded the Philadelphia Museum, one of the oldest museums in America and in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the first art academy in America. Explore Peale’s tremendous contribution in documenting the men of the American Revolutionary War. Led by art historian Martha Chiarchiaro, owner of Seeing History. Register directly on Zoom HERE. Sponsored by the Tewksbury Friends of the Library. RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

Virtual Author Talk: Nurturing Future Generations: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood with Ted Page

VIRTUAL EVENT Register for this author talk:libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us in virtual conversation with storyteller and popular blogger Ted Page as we chat about his book Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood. This heartfelt book highlights his jo......More

VIRTUAL EVENT Register for this author talk:libraryc.org/morseinstitute Join us in virtual conversation with storyteller and popular blogger Ted Page as we chat about his book Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood. This heartfelt book highlights his journey to bring together the stories and wisdom of grandfathers from all walks of life—all with a mission to nurture the next great generation. When author Ted Page found out he was going to be a grandpa, he did a web search to learn more about the experience in store for him, but all he could find were references to the movie Bad Grandpa. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Where are the good ones?” Page started a blog, GoodGrandpa.com, and set out to talk with grandfathers across a diverse spectrum. This included an NFL pro athlete, a priest, a rabbi, an imam, newsman Tom Brokaw, comedy legend John Cleese, Chinese and Indians, physicians adapting to disability, an air force general, a Vietnam combat vet, and many more—plus his Aunt Lois and the Dalai Lama, because why not? Good Grandpa is inspiring, uplifting, evocative, and filled with genuine emotion. It is a recipe of hope for a divided America, and the book that will be on every grandparent’s reading list. Register today and find out why Ted Page says “our greatest generation is to come.” About the Author: Ted Page is a storyteller and performer. He is the author of Good Grandpa: Stories from the Heart of Grandfatherhood (Regalo Press) featured on NBC’s The TODAY Show, NPR and in Forbes Magazine. His nonfiction stories have appeared in Boston Magazine and the Boston Globe Magazine, and his comedy screen credits include work with John Cleese and Florence Henderson. His blog for grandfathers—GoodGrandpa.com—has been featured in The New York Times. Ted’s book of true family stories, The Willoughby Chronicles, was published in 2017. He lives in New England and has a bunch of grandchildren.

Closed

The BFL is closed today in honor of Juneteenth

Bob Parlin: Afterimages

Bob Parlin’s photography exhibit Afterimages will be on display from June 19th – July 29th. According to Bob: My Afterimages photography exhibit centers on experiences, especially those tied to moments of beauty, where an image stays with you long after seeing it.  My f......More

Bob Parlin’s photography exhibit Afterimages will be on display from June 19th – July 29th. According to Bob: My Afterimages photography exhibit centers on experiences, especially those tied to moments of beauty, where an image stays with you long after seeing it.  My favorite photographs capture creations of nature and humanity, revealing how truly breathtaking our world is.  I hope they give the viewer a sense of both wonder and joy.   None of these images has been altered in any way — not even cropped.  Except for the canvases, every photo was taken with an iPhone 13 Pro.    birdwaterrockvineyardduckantelopecanyon   Bob Parlin has had a passion for photography since he was given a camera at the age of seven.  Now retired after 35 years as a high school teacher, Bob travels the world in search of new sights and experiences, capturing vivid images on film. A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, Bob has visited all 50 US states and more than 60 countries in his ongoing endeavor to explore beguiling scenes of nature, colorful locales, and fascinating people.  Follow Bob on Instagram at parlinbob If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please contact Bob at [email protected]

Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States