Upcoming Programs

We are offering virtual, in-person, hybrid, and outdoor program opportunities. See below for our scheduled programs.

Thank you to the Friends of the EPL for their continued support of our adult programing. Some of our talks from bestselling authors and thought leaders are brought to you in partnership with the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library and the Library Speakers Consortium. You can view these upcoming and past author programs at https://libraryc.org/eldredgelibrary.

Summer 2023 - Poetry Walk @ Frost Fish Creek

The 2023 Poetry Walk is located at Frost Fish Creek in North Chatham. This "Walk with Words" promotes literacy, learning and a deeper appreciation of and connection with the natural world. The Poetry Walk is a collaboration between the Eldredge Public Library and the Chatham Conservation Foundation. Download the brochure for directions to the walk and the names of the poems. This year we've included an activity to make the Poetry Walk even more fun for small trail blazers. We hope you enjoy your time on the trail! Make sure to leave a comment in the journal!

Saturday, September 23 - 10:30-1:30 - Fixit Clinic

Gather up your broken items and join us for Chatham's first Fixit Clinic presented by Chatham Recycles and the Eldredge Public Library! Fixit Clinics are do-it-together, hands-on community-based exploration and discovery workshops where people bring broken household items and learn to assess, disassemble and possibly repair items instead of throwing them away. The volunteer coaches can assist with small appliances and electronics, wooden items, bikes, sewing and mending, knitting, fishing equipment and general household items in need of repair. Our hope is attendees will learn more about how items are made, work, and repaired - passing the knowledge along to friends, neighbors and the community at large.

The event will be held rain or shine at the Eldredge Public Library. Bike repair will be outside.

Registration is recommended, with priority going to those who register.

Please keep the following in mind:

Please do not bring more than 3 items with you to allow our volunteer coaches and others the opportunity for fixing.
You will need to carry your items with you and maintain them at all times. Items may not be left and picked up later as the purpose of the event is for you to learn how to repair them.
There is no guarantee items can and will be fixed. Whether you fix it or not, you will learn something!

Examples of items to bring: fishing poles, bicycles, clothing and soft household items, chairs and smaller wooden items, lamps, small kitchen appliances, fans, stuffed animals, knitting projects, photo/video help (can only work with software and parts patron brings/has).

Tuesday, September 26 @ 2:00 pm - The Glories of Newport: a look into those magnificent mansions

Who says we can’t dream? This illustrated talk with art historian Mary Woodward takes us into some of the grandest rooms ever created in this country…a world away and yet so close! Fancy tea in a Chinese teahouse? Not a problem for Mrs. Alva Vanderbilt. Need a spot for 200 dinner guests? Easy, if your home is The Breakers. Join us on an armchair tour of the finest houses in America. Registration is recommended - space limited to 60.

Mary C. Woodward has spent more than 40 years in the museum and historic home business, having earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Art History. She has worked at large, comprehensive collections such as the Cleveland Museum of Art and tiny properties like the 17 th century log cabin that was the birthplace of President James K. Polk. Each opportunity has been an interesting and memorable experience.

Wednesday, September 27 @ 8:00 pm - Author Talk with Amor Towles

Please tune in as we chat online with New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles about his incredible body of work. Rules of Civility, published in 2011, was a New York Times bestseller and was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the year's best books. Towles’s second novel, A Gentleman in Moscow, published in 2016, was on the New York Times bestseller list for two years and was named one of the best books of 2016 by the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. The book has been translated into over 35 languages. Most recently, in 2021, The Lincoln Highway debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and #1 on Amazon’s list of “Best Books of the Year.” Registration is required for this virtual event.

Saturday, September 30 @ 7:00 pm - "Give 'em Hell, Harry" with Richard Figge

The Friends of the Eldredge Public Library and the First Congregational Church of Chatham are teaming up to present "Give 'em Hell, Harry" a play by Samuel Gallu performed by actor Richard Figge. The performance will take place at the First Congregational Church in Chatham, 650 Main Street. Tickets are $25 per person. Please call 508-945-0800 for tickets and information. Proceeds from the event will benefit the First Congregational Church and the Friends of the Eldredge Public Library.

Truman was a farmer, a soldier, a failed haberdasher, and the 33rd President of the United States.In a time of great national and world turmoil—World War II, Korea, political witch hunts, the Bomb, civil rights—HST took on momentous conflicts unflinchingly, and he told the truth about them to the American people. The play is built around a series of scenes in Truman’s life: we see him as a tough-talking captain in World War I, a young candidate fighting against the Klan, a fearless defender of the Bill of Rights, and an antagonist of such figures as Joseph McCarthy and Douglas MacArthur. Most of the dialogue is based on the available records.

Richard Figge has portrayed a number of historical figures, including Clarence Darrow, Charles Lindbergh, John Barrymore, and Theodore Roosevelt. He has long been interested in President Truman and was particularly inspired by Merle Miller’s biography “Plain Speaking.” “The play captures the bracing presence of the man,” says Figge. “He is outspoken, profane, warm, open, and honest, and his ideas and values still challenge and encourage us today.”

Please call 508-945-0800 for tickets and information.

Wednesday, October 4 @ 3:30 - Banned Book Week Book Discussion

Join us during Banned Books Week 2023 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Read the book prior to our gathering and be prepared to discuss all the elements that make this book a timeless classic. Registration is required. Contact Tammy at tdepasquale@clamsnet.org to register or for more information.

Tuesday, October 10 @ 4:00 pm - European Travel Tips and Tools with Guidebook Author Rick Steves

Join guidebook author and TV host Rick Steves as he shares the latest in smart European travel. In this entertaining, information-packed slideshow lecture, Rick will teach you the secrets of safe, smart, inexpensive travel — low on stress and high on fun. You’ll learn how to travel smoothly and affordably by planning an efficient itinerary, eating and sleeping well, avoiding crowds, packing smartly, and more. Registration is required for this virtual program.

Rick Steves is a popular public television host, a best-selling guidebook author, and an outspoken activist who encourages Americans to broaden their perspectives through travel. He is the founder and owner of Rick Steves' Europe, a travel business with a small-group tour program that brings more than 30,000 people to Europe annually. Rick lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, where his office window overlooks his old junior high school.

Thursday, October 12 @ 4:00 pm - Author Lisa Franco

In Lisa Franco’s My Dearest Darling: Letters of Love in Wartime, Donald’s and Margery’s intimate correspondence not only offers a heartwarming account of their romance and personal sacrifices, but also shines a light on historical events as they unfolded overseas and at home. Franco stumbled upon the lost letters during a fateful stop at an antique shop. What started as a curiosity became, with each subsequent letter, an obsession with finding the couple’s family, learning their history, and ultimately, discovering what happened to them after the war. With their family’s help, as well as other historical resources, Franco maps the couple’s life during their five-year-long separation and ensures that no aspect of this enduring love story is left behind. Registration is recommended. Seating is limited to 60.

Lisa Franco has been telling people’s stories for more than four decades. As a writer/producer for the ABC television affiliate WTNH 8 in New Haven, Connecticut, she earned multiple Emmy nominations and journalism awards for her documentaries. She also served as public affairs director for the station before she became the state communications director for one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the country.

Wednesday, October 18 @ 2:00 pm - Author Talk with Ruth Ware

You’re invited to tune in as we chat with New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10 and The It Girl as she talks about her newest book, Zero Days. In the adrenaline fueled thriller, Zero Days, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, and their best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect—her. Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer. Stop the suspense and register for the thrill now! Registration is required for this virtual program.

Ruth Ware worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language, and a press officer before settling down as a full-time writer. She now lives with her family in Sussex, on the south coast of England. She is the #1 New York Times and Globe and Mail (Toronto) bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood; The Woman in Cabin 10; The Lying Game; The Death of Mrs. Westaway; The Turn of the Key; One by One; The It Girl; and Zero Days. Visit her at RuthWare.com or follow her on Twitter @RuthWareWriter.

Thursdays, Oct 19, 26, Nov 2, 16 - 2:00-3:30 - Family History Series

Are you interested in learning more about your family history? The Eldredge Public Library is hosting a 4-part family history series, with instruction provided by David Martin from the Cape Cod Genealogical Society. Courses include: 1) General Overview of Genealogy Methods 2) Immigration and Migration 3) DNA for Genealogists and 4) Breaking Through Genealogical Brick Walls. Registration includes all four sessions which run Thursdays, Oct. 19, 26, Nov. 2, 16 from 2:00-3:30 pm. The program is limited to 18 participants. Registration is required.

Tuesday, October 24 @ 7:00 pm - Author Emily Franklin

Join us for a virtual event with author Emily Franklin, as we dive into her novel, The Lioness of Boston. A deeply evocative portrait of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a daring visionary who created an inimitable legacy in American art and transformed the city of Boston itself. The Lioness of Boston is a portrait of what society expected a woman’s life to be, shattered by a courageous soul who rebelled and determined to live on her own terms. This program will include a passage reading and Q+A with Emily, so share your questions and comments! Registration is required for this virtual program.

Emily Franklin is the author of more than twenty books including The Lioness of Boston. Her work has been published in the New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Guernica among other places as well as long-listed for the London Sunday Times Short Story Award, featured on National Public Radio, and named notable by the Association of Jewish Libraries.

This event is partnered with Chillmark Free Public Library, Falmouth Public Library, Hyannis Public Library, Yarmouth Port Library, and Centerville Public Library.

Thursday, October 26 @ 7:00 pm - A Conversation with Author John Irving

You are in for a treat when you join us for an online conversation with John Irving as he chats about not only his most recent novel, The Last Chairlift, but also about his prolific body of work and a lifetime spent writing. Irving’s first novel was published when he was just twenty-six years old. He has gone on to be nominated for a National Book Award three times and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Registration is required.

The Last Chairlift, Irving’s self-proclaimed final long novel, begins in Aspen, Colorado in 1941, when Rachel Brewster, a slalom skier, competes at the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. Little Ray, as she is called, finishes nowhere near the podium, but she manages to get pregnant. Back home, in New England, Little Ray becomes a ski instructor. Her son, Adam, grows up in a family that defies conventions and evades questions concerning the eventful past. Years later, looking for answers, Adam will go to Aspen. In the Hotel Jerome, where he was conceived, Adam will meet some ghosts; they aren’t the first or the last ghosts he sees. You don’t want to miss this hour online with internationally bestselling author John Irving. Register now!

Monday, October 30 @ 2:00 pm - The Remarkable Robert Smalls

The Remarkable Robert Smalls; His Journey From Slavery To The Halls of Congress and Beyond presented by Ernie Stricsek. Robert Smalls was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. This talk will chronicle the remarkable journey from his enslavement to his five terms as a U.S Congressman and beyond. A story of a hero’s hero. Registration is recommended. Seating is limited to 60 with priority to those who pre-register.

Ernie Stricsek retired to Chatham in 2019 after a career as an engineering executive in the aerospace and automotive industries. But he has had a long love of history and writing, with a special focus on the Civil War. He fortified his Civil War knowledge with classes at a community college, adult education programs, and he led private tours at the Gettysburg National Park. Turning from the Civil War, he is currently working on a historical novel about the turpentine camps of the 1920’s and 1930’s

Chatham Chat!

Chatham Chat will run the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 5-6 pm.

Chatham Chat! An English Language Conversation Class that is designed to provide an opportunity for people to practice and improve their English. The Conversation Class is free and open to the public. Please call the library at 508-945-5170 or email Director Amy Andreasson if you are interested in joining the program

Ebook Classes

Ready to download eBooks and Audiobooks?

Next virtual class: TBD

Getting Started with Libby - Learn how to download ebooks and audiobooks through the Libby app by Overdrive. Join Amy Andreasson through a Zoom program as she will show you how to download items and answer your Libby questions. Registration is required so we can get you connected through Zoom. *Libby app is currently compatible with smart phones and tablets. EBooks can be download on another device (phone, ipad, etc) and transferred to Kindle devices.