So many reasons to visit the library in May
April 24, 2025 | By Judi ByronMay’s calendar at the Waterbury Library is filling up fast with many free programs for all ages.
A special slate of events will be held in connection with the annual Vermont Reads program, organized by Vermont Humanities statewide and hosted by the library along with the Children’s Literacy Foundation in Waterbury.
Silent Reading Parties continue and multiple gaming groups continue to meet in May.
The Waterbury Housing Task Force’s series on accessory dwelling units to increase local housing capacity also wraps up with its final session. There’s no requirement for having attended the earlier sessions.
See details below on all of these offerings and visit WaterburyPublicLibrary.com for many more event listings including children’s programming.
May 4: Silent Reading Party
The Silent Reading Parties have caught on over the winter and will continue through the spring and summer, hosted by the library and Bridgeside Books. The next one is scheduled for a somewhat unusual time and place: Waterbury Functional Fitness, at 53 N. Main Street, on Sunday, May 4, at 10:30 a.m. Bring a chair along with your book. Reading time is about an hour with time at the end to share a little bit about your book. Rain or shine.
Games, games and more games!
Gaming isn’t just for wintertime at the Waterbury Public Library.
May 6: Board Game Night happens on the first Tuesday of the month, May 6, 6-8 p.m. This fun, social evening is for all board game enthusiasts, new or seasoned. Know that the play is Euro-style, which means based on strategy more than luck. Examples of Euro-style board games are Catan, Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Carcassonne and Concordia. Players are welcome to bring games also.
Saturdays: Dungeons & Dragons and tabletop role-playing games mix it up with a cast of alternating Dungeon Masters and various game systems on Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. New leaders are invited to join in. Contact Evan Hoffman on Discord here for more information. For adults and teens.
May 29: Blood on the Clocktower usually meets the third Thursday of the month, but May’s gathering is scheduled for May 29 instead, 6-8 p.m. The game is a social deduction of lies and logic for up to 20 players plus the Storyteller. One player is the demon who kills by night, supported by a team of minions. The “good” team – the townsfolk and outsiders – find and execute the demon to win. For more information and to register, send an email to judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.
June 14: Mahjong takes a break for May (last class on Saturday, April 26). It resumes on Saturday, June 14, and will continue through September. Mahjong originated in China over 2,000 years ago as a fun game that involves both skill and luck. New players are always welcome. It’s taught by Pauline Nolte, a Mahjong enthusiast. For more information, email judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Waterbury in autumn. Photo by Gordon Miller
Final session: Building Better Waterbury
Building Better Waterbury wraps up its winter/spring workshop series on developing accessory dwelling units in Waterbury. The fourth and final session meets on Tuesday, May 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library.
The focus at this meeting will be on rental property management and the best strategies for being a successful landlord. Panelists will share what they have learned as landlords. The Waterbury Housing Task Force developed this series in collaboration with the Waterbury Public Library to educate and empower individual property owners to increase housing capacity through the construction of accessory dwelling units and duplexes. For more information, to view past sessions, and for the upcoming Zoom link, visit the Housing Task Force page on the town website here. Light refreshments will be served.
Vermont Reads One-Book, One State: Multiple events
Cover of the Vermont Reads selection, 'Gather,' by Kenneth M. Cadow.
The library along with the Children’s Literacy Foundation announce their collaboration on the 2024-2025 Vermont Reads One-Book/One-State Read project.
Since 2003, Vermont Humanities has invited students, adults, and seniors across the state to read the same book and participate in a wide variety of community activities related to the book’s themes.
This year’s book is the novel “Gather” by Kenneth M. Cadow, with a story that encompasses rural life, resilience, class differences, addiction, housing and food insecurity, a deep relationship to the land, and the power of community.
In the story, the protagonist Ian adopts a dog that wanders onto his property and he names the dog “Gather.”
From the book: “So, something I have to say is about the word ‘gather.’ It means a lot of things, like gathering food. Gathering your thoughts. When somebody who listens … asks you what it’s like to grow up the way you’re growing up, you gather together all these parts of your life and all these stories of things from way before, things that get mixed up with what’s happening right then. These stories don’t come out like a timeline; they come out like compost. All the leaves, the coffee grounds, fireplace ashes, apple cores, tea bags, onion skins, egg shells, corn husks, potato peels, everything that turned to dirt at one time or another belongs with whatever you’ve got growing out of it right there in front of you…You can’t go pulling all the dirt away from the roots, trying to put it in some kind of order so you can understand it your way. You kill it if you do that.”
Get a copy of the book now at either the Waterbury Public Library or at CLiF’s headquarters in Waterbury Center (3579 Waterbury-Stowe Road, across from the Mutt Hutt). CLiF will have books in its Little Free Library located by the front door. The book discussion will be at CLiF on Wednesday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m.
A visit with George Woodard
George Woodard will speak about growing up on a farm at the library this month. Courtesy photo
In addition to the book discussion, the library has invited Waterbury Center farmer and filmmaker “Old George Woodard” as he calls himself, to speak about growing up on a farm. He’ll have stories, pictures, and maybe even a song or two.
George and his family rebuilt the 200-acre dairy farm after he finished college and they milked cows for 48 years. During that time, he left for awhile to explore acting in Hollywood. He learned the film-making process and also returned to run the farm. Between milking in the morning and milking in the evening, there was the theatre, and of course, his brainchild, “The Ground Hog Opry” annual variety show, which ran for many years touring Vermont.
Locals know his films “The Summer of Walter Hacks,” a coming of age story set in the long-forgotten rural New England of the 1950’s, and “The Farm Boy,” a 1944 love story inspired by his parents, both critically acclaimed films shot mostly at the farm.
George has also written and illustrated his first children’s book, “The Christmas Calf,” released late last year. “I don’t think anything I’ve done would have happened if I wasn’t a dairy farmer,” he remarked.
Woodard presents his talk, “Farming: The Greatest Adventure Nobody Knows About,” on Thursday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the library.
Dog communication
On Saturday, May 10, at 10:30 a.m., dog training expert Deb Helfrich will give a presentation, “Woof! What is the Dog Saying?”
Helfrich co-founded and owns Gold Star Dog Training and she knows of what she speaks. When is a yawn not a yawn? Can a growl be a good thing? Or is a tail wag always friendly? It is not always what you think.
She demystifies dog communication, reveals common dog-human misunderstandings, and shares tips and strategies on how to live peacefully and safely with our canine companions.
Please note: This program is for humans, so please leave your pooch at home. Though the program is targeted for adults, it is appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Judi Byron is the Waterbury Public Library’s Adult Program Coordinator. Contact: 802-244-7036 or judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.