Burnham Bunch Storytime
2026-01-22 10:30 - 11:00, 2026-01-29 10:30 - 11:00, 2026-02-05 10:30 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham Library Presents: Burnham Bunch Storytime
Thursdays 1/22-3/26
10:30am
Drop in.
Perfect for the 5 and under crowd! Sing songs, read books and have some bubble fun!

French Conversation Fridays
2026-01-23 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-01-30 13:30 - 14:30, 2026-02-06 13:30 - 14:30 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
French Conversation Fridays
Join us for a relaxed meet-and-greet as we launch French Conversation Fridays! Whether you’re fluent or rusty, practice your French, meet fellow language learners, and enjoy a welcoming, low-pressure space to speak, listen, and learn together. Moderate to fluent speakers are welcome—à bientôt!
Questions? Contact jkallay@burnhamlibrary.org

Burnham's Satellite Library
2026-01-27 12:30 - 13:30 | Hilltop Center, United States
Join Katie at the Hilltop Center on the 4th Tuesday of Each Month!
Whether you’re looking to discover new books, need help with tech, or just want to chat, Katie has you covered. Swing by to grab a new library card, register for upcoming programs, or simply enjoy some good conversation. She’s here to assist with it all!

Winter Chess Club
2026-01-27 15:15 - 15:45, 2026-01-27 16:00 - 16:30, 2026-02-10 15:15 - 15:45 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham Library Presents: Winter Chess Club
Grades 1-5
Every other Tuesday (1/13, 1/27, 2/10, 2/24, 3/10, 3/24)
Jeremy Lingenfelser will introduce kids to the game of chess or help players who know the game, learn new strategies. Open to all abilities!
Available in 2 sessions. 3:15pm-3:45pm OR 4:00-4:30pm.
Registration required. Please register with Mrs. Lianne at lambruso@burnhamlibrary.org. When emailing, specify which session time you would like.

Homeschool Hangout -Space Explorers
2026-01-28 12:00 - 12:45 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham Library Presents:
Homeschool Hangout- Space Explorers
Ages 6+
Last Wednesdays of the month (1/28, 2/25, 3/25)
Join us to participate in space themed crafts, activities and STEM challenges.
Registration required. To register, email Mrs. Lianne at lambruso@burnhamlibrary.org.

Cancelled -Homeschool Hangout -Space Explorers
2026-01-28 12:00 - 12:45 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States

Cancelled - Homeschool Hangout -Space Explorers
2026-01-28 12:00 - 12:45 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States

Book Discussion: Migration
2026-01-28 17:00 - 19:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Join us as we discuss Migration by Charlotte McConaghy
Copies available at the library circulation desk.
Questions? Contact jkallay@burnhamlibrary.org

Virtual Author Talk: Secrets and Second Chances with Liz Moore
2026-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
REGISTER & SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE
via Digital Livestream or on Demand
We are thrilled to welcome Liz Moore to discuss her latest work, The God of the Woods, an instant New York Times bestseller and one of NPR’s 2024 “Books We Love” highlights.
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
Join us in conversation with Liz as we embark on a tale of thrilling twists and disturbing disappearances. Register today to “enter the woods,” if you dare!
About the Author: Liz Moore is the author of five novels: The Words of Every Song, Heft, The Unseen World, the New York Times bestselling Long Bright River, and The God of the Woods. A winner of the 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she lives in Philadelphia and teaches in the MFA program in Creative Writing at Temple University.

Town Event: Pop-Up Snowshoe Walk
2026-01-29 13:00 - 15:00, 2026-01-31 13:00 - 15:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Bridgewater Recreation Commission Snowshoe Walk Pop-Up
Meet at the Hilltop Center Thursday, January 29 and Saturday January 31 at 1:00 pm
All ages welcome
Bring your own snowshoes.

80's & 90's Mix Tape Music Bingo
2026-01-30 18:00 - 20:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
80’s & 90’s Mix Tape Music Bingo
Friday, January 30, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, with doors opening at 5:45
Registration is required. email jkallay@burnhamlibrary.org
Feel free to bring snacks or beverages.
Mix Tape Music Bingo is a musical twist on old-school bingo! Players receive a bingo card where traditional numbers are replaced with song names. Snippets of songs will play over the speakers, and if the song is on your card, cross it out. The first player to complete a full row and shout “Bingo!” wins—easy as that!
No teams are needed. There will be two rounds: an ’80s round and a ’90s round. Prizes will be awarded to one lucky winner at the end of each “decade.”

February - March Art Show: Makers, Bakers, Movers and Shakers: Vintage Portraits from Bridgewater's Past
2026-02-03 10:00 - 17:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Makers, Bakers, Movers and Shakers: Vintage Portraits from Bridgewater’s Past
During Library Hours, February 2 – March 28
Reception on Saturday, February 14, from 11:00 – 1:00 pm
As part of Burnham Library’s Centennial Celebration, the Library is proud to present a special photographic exhibition honoring the people and history of Bridgewater through the lens of fine art photographer Robert Gumpper (1928-2005).
This exhibition features a compelling collection of vintage portraits depicting Bridgewater residents from the 1950s through the 1970s, offering today’s community a rare and intimate glimpse into the town’s past. It is particularly fitting that such an exhibit be included in the library’s centennial year, as the photographs both educate and illuminate the lives of the people who helped shape Bridgewater into the town it is today.
Photographer Robert Gumpper settled in Bridgewater in 1954. When the town celebrated its own centennial two years later, Gumpper—who specialized in large-format photography and historic photographic processes—documented the occasion by creating portraits of residents attending the Bridgewater Centennial Ball. Many of the sitters wore period costumes, resulting in striking images that capture a moment in time now long past. A slideshow of these Centennial Ball portraits will run throughout the exhibition, with select images reproduced and framed for display.
In addition to the Centennial Ball photographs, the exhibit includes portraits of Bridgewater residents from subsequent decades. Some of the subjects were well-known figures in their respective fields, while others are individuals whose names have largely faded from public memory. Regardless of notoriety, each portrait is visually compelling and tells a deeply human story. Background information has been gathered for each subject, allowing visitors to learn more about and commemorate these former residents.
Robert Gumpper (1926–2005) was a fine art photographer known for his mastery of antique photographic processes, including Gum Bichromate, Kallitype, Bromoil, and Dye Transfer, among others. In addition to his artistic work, he operated a portrait studio in Bridgewater and studied lighting and portraiture with William Mortensen, the famed Hollywood photographer. Gumpper’s work reflects both technical excellence and a strong sense of place, making it especially meaningful to the Bridgewater community.
The exhibition has been curated by the photographer’s daughter, Valerie Gumpper, and stands as both a tribute to her father’s legacy and a celebration of Bridgewater’s residents—past and present.

Burnham School Visit
2026-02-03 14:00 - 15:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham School visit for grades 2 & 4.

Burnham School Visit
2026-02-05 11:00 - 15:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham School Visit for grades K, 1, 3, &5

Remembering the Holocaust: The Power of Family Stories - An Evening with Ruben Wind
2026-02-05 18:00 - 19:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Remembering the Holocaust: The Power of Family Stories – An Evening with Ruben Wind
In partnership with the Bridgewater Congregational Church
Registration required. RSVP below
Ruben Wind will share his parents’ story of escape from the Nazi regime, placing their journey within the broader historical context of the Holocaust and the decades that followed. Passionate about Holocaust education, Wind is dedicated to sharing family stories to ensure this history is never forgotten and never repeated.
Ruben Wind is a member of HERO, the Holocaust Education Resource and Outreach Center, and Generations Forward, sponsored by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center of White Plains, New York.
This program is free and open to the public.

Virtual Author Talk: Swashbuckling Heroines and High Seas Adventures with Novelist Vanessa Riley
2026-02-05 19:00 - 20:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
REGISTER & SUBMIT QUESTIONS HERE
via Digital Livestream or on Demand
Join us for an unforgettable experience as we chat online with Vanessa Riley about her newest book, Fire Sword and Sea, based on the folk story of the female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye.
The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.
Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d’Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.
For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.
Don’t miss out on this exciting discussion! Register now to embark on a seafaring journey of self discovery and reclamation of personal power.
About the Author: Vanessa Riley is an award-winning author and proud recipient of the 2024 Georgia Mystery/Detective Fiction Author of the Year. She writes Sagas and Book Club Fiction that brings to life the hidden narratives of Black women and women of color in novels like Island Queen and Queen of Exiles. Her stories celebrate strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and resilience across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres.Her work has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and The New York Times.

PK Little Crafts
2026-02-06 10:30 - 11:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Burnham Library Presents: PK Little Crafts
1st Fridays of the month (1/9*, 2/6, 3/6) *1/9 due to New Year holiday*.
10:30am
Crafts specifically for our toddlers and preschoolers! Simple, seasonal crafts to help practice fine motor, scissor and prewriting skills!
Registration required. Email Mrs. Lianne at lambruso@burnhamlibrary.org

Take Your Child to the Library Day
2026-02-07 10:00 - 12:00 | The Burnham Library, 62 Main Street South, Burnham Library, Bridgewater, CT, 06798, United States
Take Your Child to the Library Day – Pirate Adventures
Saturday, February 7, 2026
10:00am-12:00pm
Drop in. All ages.
Come visit Burnham Library for the 15th annual ‘Take Your Child to the Library Day’ celebrated throughout Connecticut and the nation. Ahoy Matey! The Burnham Library is full of Pirate Adventures. Follow our treasure map and complete pirate activities to claim your booty!
