Upcoming programs at the Waterbury Public Library

January 7, 2022

NOTE: This post was updated to note several changes for programs to be held via Zoom rather than in person given the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. The Appalachian songs program has been postponed and will be rescheduled at a later date. Check the library website for the most up-to-date details on any program.

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The Waterbury Public Library has several programs for adults coming up in January and February. For more information and to register, visit the library’s website at waterburypubliclibrary.com.

In addition to the following updated listings, preschool storytimes at the library have been postponed until at least Feb. 3. Other events have been moved to online platforms for January and early February. Check the library website for the latest information.

Four-class program focuses on energy, health in the new year

Jan. 12, 26; Feb. 9, 23; 5:30-6:45 p.m. 

As New Year’s resolutions for personal improvement often fall by the wayside by the end of January, the Waterbury Public Library will host a program at the start of 2022 offering structure to keep on track with new goals. 

Mind-body health coach Becky Widschwenter, who runs Mindful Movement, will hold four classes in January and February via Zoom to focus on increasing energy, motivation and optimism. 

LEAN In with Becky Widschwenter follows a program known as L.E.A.N., which stands for Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition. Developed by Dr. Bill Sears, the program aims to help participants take charge of their life, focus on the positive, and find balance with a process to last throughout the year. 

Widschwenter will cover strategies for healthy aging with a focus on preventing disease, reducing stress, improving sleep, fitness, strength, sharp-thinking and memory. 

The free online classes will be held from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. beginning Wednesday, Jan. 12, and running every other week through Feb. 23.  

Topics and dates are: Make Your Own Medicine, Jan. 12; Make Health Your Hobby, Jan. 26; Move Waste from your Waist, Feb. 9; Live Without Pain & Inflammation, Feb. 23. 

Register for any or all of the sessions online on the library website at waterburypubliclibrary.com/lean-in/.  

Songs & stories from Southern Appalachia

POSTPONED: This program was scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 18, 6:30 p.m. but will be rescheduled due to the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

The southern Appalachian music tradition came to the United States by Scots-Irish immigrants in the 18th century, many who settled in the North Carolina piedmont and mountains. The group was poor and isolated both culturally and geographically, and yet their strong musical traditions survived undisturbed for more than 150 years.

Join Steve Lotspeich on guitar and banjo and Kyle Creason at the library for this in-person program as they share stories and songs from the southern Appalachian mountains including selections by Doc Watson and Pete Seeger, Bascom Lunsford and Samantha Bumgarner, some of the key figures in developing and popularizing the southern Appalachian music tradition.

Digital tools for travelers in the time of COVID

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom

How do you navigate travel in this time of COVID?

Many countries are requiring travelers to provide mandatory information before entering by using digital tools such as smartphone applications. These apps allow your information to process quickly and be transmitted to the relevant authorities, which is essential

for travel during a pandemic. In theory, these steps should allow for faster border crossing and limit contact. But perhaps you aren’t skilled at using smartphone apps or maybe you don’t own a smartphone. 

Kyle Creason, the Waterbury Public Library’s Technical Librarian, is offering a class via Zoom called “Digital Tools for Travelers in the Time of Covid.” Participants will get a chance to use the ArriveCAN app to learn the process of registering to enter Canada and an opportunity to look at other apps and discuss what to do if you don’t own a smartphone. There will also be time to share personal experiences using these apps.

For more information contact Creason at kyle@waterburypubliclibrary.com. Zoom link is on the event listing on the library’s website.

Supporting Positive Emotional Growth in Children

Thursday, Jan. 27, 6:30 p.m. via Zoom

A child’s first relationships are crucial.  Securely attached children benefit from a host of advantages including being more accommodating with adults, getting into fewer fights as preschoolers and grade-schoolers, and undergoing greater intellectual development through the early childhood years. Scott Noyes of Empowering Programs based in Milton presents a talk, “Supporting Positive Emotional Growth in Children,” on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. The link to join is on the library’s website in the event listing.

This program is sponsored by the Waterbury Public Library and made possible by a grant from The Vermont Children’s Trust Foundation. For more information contact Youth Services Librarian Cynthia Ryle at cynthia@waterburypubliclibrary.com.