Adults’ Featured Events

Check Out Our Upcoming Events! Take Your Child to the Library And Bring Your Memories Day 2020 – 2/1 | The FGM from A to Z: The History and Future of the Florence Griswold Museum – 2/11 | Birds, Bugs, and Frogs: the State of the Science Behind Reported Global Declines – 2/20 | Understanding Your Best Friend with Phil Klein, Certified Dog Listener- 2/22 | Introduction To The Essex Land Trust with Jeffrey Croyle – 2/29

Ongoing Programs: Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group | Bereavement Support Group | Diamonds and Purls | SCORE

Our programs are free and open to the public. Please let us know if you’ll be attending so we can let you know in case of any unforeseen changes in the schedule. To register, please call us at (860) 767-1560.

February Programs

Take Your Child to the Library And Bring Your Memories Day 2020

Saturday, February 1st, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Join us in celebrating the Essex Library! We have a day of activities, including the Library’s “Old Tech” Petting Zoo and free books for children, donated by the Friends of the Essex Library. Please register for these events by calling the library at 860-767-1560.

Bring Your Memories to the Library – All Day
Participate in a guided interview or self recording of what the library was like when you were a kid! Interviews will become a part of our local history collection. Sign up at the Essex Library.

The FGM from A to Z: The History and Future of the Florence Griswold Museum with David D.J. Rau, Director of Education & Outreach

Tuesday, February 11th at 7 p.m.
The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme offers year-round exhibitions of American art and interprets the historic Florence Griswold House, a boardinghouse for artists, circa 1910. The 12-acres of gardens and grounds along the Lieutenant River provides a place of natural beauty that inspired the original painters of the Lyme Art Colony as well as those of today. Plus, the Museum has just opened its Artists’ Trail, a wonder for nature lovers. Come learn about the history of the Museum as well as all the exhibitions and events in store for 2020.

David Rau has been the Director of Education & Outreach at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme since 1998. Most recently, Rau played a key role in the reinterpretation of the Griswold House as a boardinghouse for the Lyme Art Colony as well as the Museum’s new triad of on-line learning resources.

Birds, Bugs, and Frogs: the State of the Science Behind Reported Global Declines

Thursday, February 20th at 7 p.m.
Periodically, the scientific community sounds an alarm about staggering declines in global populations of life forms as diverse as birds, frogs, and invertebrates. However, in the Connecticut River estuary, we are witnessing remarkable recoveries of charismatic species such as bald eagles, ospreys, and Atlantic sturgeon. Join Connecticut Audubon Society’s conservation biologist Jim Arrigoni as he explains how scientists compile large-scale datasets and explores how to reconcile global reports with our local perspective. Over the past 20 years, Jim has worked as a field biologist throughout the northeast and western United States, as well as in Belize and China. He has taught courses in conservation biology, aquatic ecology and herpetology at SUNY Syracuse and Goodwin College in East Hartford.

Understanding Your Best Friend with Phil Klein, Certified Dog Listener

Saturday, February 22nd at 1:30 p.m.
Phil Klein will present a kind methodology for gaining your dog’s cooperation based on its instincts. Learn how canines see the world and the underlying reasons for unwanted behaviors like hyperactivity, destructive chewing, incessant barking, toileting in the house, jumping on guests, and aggression. Learn the four main areas of canine communications, including the leadership signals that will eliminate or minimize these behaviors and turn your dog into a relaxed, joyful companion. Bring your questions, but not your dog for an informative, fun event.

Phil’s path to becoming a Dog Listener started when his family rescued a special dog named Abby from Labs4Rescue. Through in-home consultations, volunteer work with Labs4Rescue and other rescue organizations, and public talks, Phil has been honored to help hundreds of dog owners and their dogs.

Introduction To The Essex Land Trust with Jeffrey Croyle

Saturday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m.
ELT Board member and Steward of Windswept Ridge, Jeff Croyle, will present an illustrated introduction to the Essex Land Trust, its mission and accomplishments, highlighting its properties with a focus on its larger preserves. Jeff Croyle is Chair of the ELT Nominating Committee.

On-Going Programs

Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group

First Tuesday every month, 5:30-7 p.m. 
Seventy eight thousand people in Connecticut are living with Alzheimer’s disease and there are 178 thousand caregivers in this state. Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease can be challenging. Changes in the person’s behavior as the disease progresses can lead to frustration and anxiety. To help people who care for those with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter facilitates about 90 support groups around the state. The Essex Library is honored to collaborate with AACC in hosting a monthly caregivers support group.

The support group offers caregivers a place to share, learn and feel welcomed. People talk about their experiences and offer suggestions to deal with topics including medical, legal, behavioral and financial problems. The trained group facilitator is there to listen, help guide the conversation and to provide information about resources in the community. This support group is FREE and open to the public. There is no registration necessary. 

bereavement groupBereavement Support Group

First and third Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m.
Second and fourth Tuesdays, 5-6 p.m.
Grieving is tough –  but you don’t have to go it alone. The Essex Library is now hosting a Bereavement Support Group, with leadership provided by Chaplain Dennis McCann, head of pastoral services at Middlesex Hospital. The group is free and open to all. If you’re struggling with loss – of a spouse, a parent or other family member, or a close friend –  please consider coming to a meeting; sometimes just having a place to share our feelings makes them easier to bear.  No advance registration is necessary, and drop-ins are welcome.

knitting needles and woolDiamonds and Purls

Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. and
A knitting group for all fiber artists, whether you knit, crochet, embroider, or any other kind of portable fiber art. If you’d like to learn to knit, Librarian Anna Cierocki will teach you. Bring a pair of size eight needles, and a skein of white acrylic yarn.

Due to a number of generous donations recently, we are NOT accepting further yarn or needle donations. Thank you for your consideration.

SCORE logoSCORE At The Library

Second and fourth Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
The Southeastern Connecticut chapter of SCORE® provides free and confidential advice on starting and growing small businesses. Counseling will take place at the Essex Library on the second and fourth Thursday of each month between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  Appointments must be scheduled in advance, either by calling 860-388-9508, or by requesting a mentor online.

Don Flynn, an Essex resident, along with Steve Workman and other chapter members will counsel business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Essex.  According to Flynn, “At the initial meeting, the business owner describes his or her current situation and challenges the business may be facing to a team of counselors.  Based on the specific areas of need, a SCORE counselor with experience in those areas is assigned to help guide the business owner in the completion of a business plan or other action steps.”