Woodbury Public Library

10/26/2026

🎃Halloween Pedestrian Safety Event🎃
Saturday, October 31 from 4:30 - 6:00 PM

On Halloween evening, while you and your kids are waiting for Trunk or Treat to start, join the WPL, the OEM and the WSCC at the pavilion for hands-on Halloween fun that helps children and families practice safe walking and prepare for trick-or-treating!

Activities are being planned around safe street crossing, being visible after dark, and checking costumes for clear vision and easy movement. Come learn simple ways to make your Halloween adventures safer! Pick up free safety tape, vests and flashing lights for your trick or treaters, too!

This event is a partnership between the Woodbury Public Library, Woodbury Senior Center, Woodbury Office of Emergency Management, and Woodbury Parks and Recreation, with support through a grant from the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Bring your Halloween spirit—and let’s practice stepping safely!

10/20/2026

✨Fancy-ish Crow Party✨
Tuesday, October 27 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Register Here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17714780

Join us for an evening crow party! Dress in dark colors, bring shiny objects, and trade for even shinier objects. Trinket boxes will be supplied. Feeling famished? Stop by the pecking table for some crow-approved refreshments.

Call it a Knight will be instructing chainmail lessons (with shiny, shiny rings!):

Interested in learning a trade from the Middle Ages? Or perhaps in creating unique, high quality jewelry pieces? Whether you're a history enthusiast or just looking for a new craft, chainmail might be just what you're looking for! Learn the foundations of weaving chainmail and apply those skills to making a simple bracelet. Once you know the basics of chainmail, you'll have the skills to make beautiful jewelry, full sets of chainmail armor, and whatever else you can imagine!

Join us for an evening crow party! Dress in dark colors, bring shiny objects, and trade for even shinier objects. Trinket boxes will be supplied. Feeling famished? Stop by the...

10/20/2026

Tomorrow night from 5:00 - 6:30 PM! Ask questions, share ideas, and raise topics important to you in a relaxed, community setting. Town of Woodbury, CT

📣Town Updates with First Selectman Paul Zulpa📣
Wednesday, October 21 at 5:00 PM

Join Woodbury's First Selectman Paul Zulpa, Fiscal Officer Nyree Pieck, and Board of Finance Chair Karen McWhirt for meet‑and‑greet at the Library to talk about the town budget—and anything else that may be on your mind. Ask questions, share ideas, and raise topics important to you in a relaxed, community setting.

10/20/2026

📣Countess of Cons: The Story of a Gilded Age Grifter📣
Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 PM
Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17604472

A single newspaper clipping led genealogist Deborah S. Holman to a decades-long trail of aliases, schemes, arrests, court cases and reinvention.

For generations, Catherine Seeley was remembered by her family as a sweet, gentle grandmother. Then Connecticut author and genealogist Deborah S. Holman found a newspaper clipping that told a very different story. That discovery launched the investigation behind Countess of Cons: The Story of a Gilded Age Grifter. Catherine Seeley spent decades reinventing herself as she moved from city to city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She assumed new identities, launched questionable enterprises and repeatedly attracted the attention of newspapers, police, courts and creditors. At one point, she even adopted the title of countess.

Drawing on hundreds of contemporary newspaper articles, court records, city directories, genealogical sources and other historical documents, Holman reconstructed Catherine's life and the trail she left behind. The investigation also overturned a story that had been passed down through Holman's husband's family for generations. Part biography and part historical investigation, Countess of Cons examines not only Catherine's remarkable ability to reinvent herself, but also the consequences of those reinventions for her victims, her family and ultimately herself. Deborah Holman is an award-winning author, genealogist and speaker whose work explores the stories hidden inside family history. Her previous books include Nothing Really Bad Will Happen: A Holocaust Story of Loss and Legacy, winner of the 2024 Richard G. Tomlinson Literary Award, and the children's book Doris's New Home.

10/20/2026

Tonight at 6:30 PM! Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17614817

🍳America's First Cookbook: American Cookery with John Cilio🍳
Tuesday, October 20 at 6:30 PM
Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17614817

Step back in time to explore the nation's first cookbook written in the United States. Self-published in 1796 by Amelia Simmons, an orphaned American woman, American Cookery marks a landmark moment in U.S. history. Supported by prominent Federalist politicians of the era, the book blended European culinary traditions with native ingredients and innovative pioneer techniques.

In this presentation, historian John Cilio examines this groundbreaking 13-edition work, the evolution of early American cookbook publishing, and how innovations like cast-iron stoves and formal cooking schools transformed the domestic kitchen.

John Cilio is a historical storyteller, author, and researcher with over 15 years of experience bringing the past to life. A member of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), the Organization of American Historians, and the Association for the Study of Connecticut History, Cilio has published extensively across national magazines and newspapers. Through his captivating storytelling and in-depth research, John Cilio continues to inspire and educate. His talks blend rigorous research, vintage photography, and period storytelling to immerse audiences in history.

10/15/2026

Teens! Join Wilder Moon Collective this Saturday at 10:00 AM for an improv theater lab.
Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/16804371

🎭TEENS: Improv, Expression, & Ensemble Magic🎭
Saturday, October 17 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/16804371

Join Wilder Moon Collective for a special Full Moon Theater Lab—a morning full of improv and performance exploration.
You'll have a great time focusing on skills like public speaking, building you confidence, and working on your theater mastery! Through imaginative acting challenges, improv exercises, and collaborative storytelling, you'll create bold characters, surprising scenes, and spontaneous theatrical adventures! This two-hour workshop allows time to dive into ensemble work, build confidence, and explore expressive storytelling in a supportive environment.

No acting experience needed—just curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to have fun.

Sponsored by Friends of the Woodbury Public Library, Inc.

10/15/2026

The parking lot behind the Library will be closed from October 16 - October 23 due to roof work.

The Library will be getting a new flat roof, which is needed immediately for the Library to maintain safety, historical significance, and aesthetics.

10/15/2026

Tonight at 6:00 PM! Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17500400

You Are the Connoisseur! How to Read a Painting with Vincent de Luise MD
Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 PM
Register here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17500400

You love to go to museums and art galleries. You go often to art fairs and shows.
You are likely to be an artist yourself. How do you interpret a painting or a sketch?
Is it all just a Gestalt experience, or are there a set of fundamental principles that can help deconstruct a work of art, better to understand it?
In this talk, with Dr. Vincent de Luise, you will learn about the exciting and burgeoning domain of Neuroaesthetics and the foundational set of aesthetic principles of beauty. You'll also see how “ugly” can also be “beautiful”. Learn how to develop Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and employ them to analyze a series of famous paintings and drawings, and even some sculptures!

Dr de Luise is the cultural ambassador and a program annotator of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra and is president of the Connecticut Summer Opera Foundation. As a clarinetist, Dr. deLuise organized the Connecticut Mozart Festival and co-founded the annual classical music recital at the American Academy Ophthalmology. He is active as a chamber music recitalist and lectures frequently on music and the artVincent de Luise M..D F.A.C.S. is an assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology at Yale University School of Medicine, and a distinguished visiting scholar at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University. He is also on the adjunct faculty of Weill Cornell Medical College and serves on the advisory board of its Music and Medicine Orchestra. Dr. de Luise is a graduate of Princeton University, Weill Cornell Medical College and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He was a Heed Fellow at the Proctor Foundation of UCSF, and a Fellow at Harvard University's Advanced Leadership Institute.

10/15/2026

🚗Charming Escapes: Day Trips in Connecticut & Beyond🚗
Thursday, October 22 at 6:30 PM
Register Here: https://woodburylibraryct.libcal.com/event/17331557

Set out on a journey through the heart of New England, where every road leads to something memorable, and Connecticut takes center stage. Explore a handpicked collection of destinations, from captivating museums and award-winning wineries to charming boutiques, standout restaurants, and breathtaking scenic escapes. Guided by travel enthusiast Michelle “Shel” Griffis, you’ll uncover the hidden gems and local favorites that make the Nutmeg State and its neighboring regions so special. With insider tips and thoughtfully curated itineraries, you’ll be ready to turn any free day, whether you’re craving a relaxing afternoon or a full day of discovery, into an unforgettable adventure.

10/14/2026

📣Town Updates with First Selectman Paul Zulpa📣
Wednesday, October 21 at 5:00 PM

Join Woodbury's First Selectman Paul Zulpa, Fiscal Officer Nyree Pieck, and Board of Finance Chair Karen McWhirt for meet‑and‑greet at the Library to talk about the town budget—and anything else that may be on your mind. Ask questions, share ideas, and raise topics important to you in a relaxed, community setting.