Natick Reads 2013 Calendar of Events
Natick Reads is a community-wide read together program designed to encourage reading and promote literacy.
Natick Reads provides an opportunity to share experiences, explore themes, and enjoy the selected genre with the entire community.
Natick Reads is a collaboration of the Morse Institute and the Bacon Free Libraries and is generously supported by the Friends of the Morse Institute Library and the Friends of the Bacon Free Library.
Natick Reads Kick off Event
Thursday, February 28, 1-4 pm / Morse Institute Library
Join us as we start our month long celebration of the great outdoors!
- Book giveaways of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods
- Children’s activities and special nature book giveaway
- Natick Trail maps
- Refreshments (including trail mix of course)
- Free Natick Reads buttons
- Representatives from Natick’s Audubon Society and The Appalachian Mountain Club
Hiking Natick Trails: 3 Guided Hikes
Friday, March 1 @ 3 pm / Pegan Cove (meet at the library)
Friday, March 22 @ 3 pm / Coolidge Hill (meet at the library)
Saturday, March 30 @ 11 am / Natick Community Farm (meet at the farm on Elliot St)
Did you know that Natick has miles of groomed public hiking trails?
Maureen Sullivan leads you through these local trails to discover a vast and diverse ecosystem. Each hike is approximately 1 1/2 hours long and about 1.5 miles. Please wear good walking shoes and dress for the weather. Snack bars will be provided. Please bring your own water bottle.
Children's Event: Sit With Me Story Time
Saturday March 2 @ 10:30 am / Story Hour/Craft Room
Celebrate Natick Reads with a nature story and craft. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
History of the Appalachian Trail
Sunday, March 3 @ 3 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Hall
Did you know that in 1921 the idea of a "super trail" in the United States started in Massachusetts? Do you know how long the trail is? Or how many individual trails there are?
Join us as author and independent scholar Larry Anderson gives a slide presentation of the history of the Appalachian Trail and biographical information of Benton MacKaye, who is credited with originating the idea of the trail.
Unplug & Get Outside: Nature Deficit and Hiking Safely
Monday, March 4 @ 7 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Hall
How important is a walk in the woods to a child's development? It's one of the most burning education questions of the day, and, according to experts, a lack of routine contact with nature may result in stunted academic and developmental growth.
Joy Marzolf and Clare Walker Leslie discuss the importance of walking in the woods, hiking safety, and engaging children in nature.
Bacon Free Library Event: Saturday Storyhour
Saturday, March 9 @ 10 am / Bacon Free Library
Join us as we read from Johnson’s Henry series - about a bear named Henry,who bears a strong resemblance to Henry David Thoreau!
Henry Builds a Cabin will be followed by activities appropriate for early elementary-aged kids, as well as other Henry stories, as time permits. No registration required.
Nature Book Walk (with Autism Alliance)
Rescheduling in April 2013 - date TBA
Nannette Ohman leads participants on a book walk through downtown Natick.
Outrageous Fortune in Concert
Sunday, March 10, 2:30 - 4:00 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Room
Outrageous Fortune is an acoustic vintage jazz and blues trio. Their repertoire features innovative arrangements of early jazz and blues and jug band music.
You’ll be wowed by their instrumental virtuosity, and delighted by their smooth three-part vocal harmonies, their strong groove, and the abundant joy that infuses every performance.
Children's Event: Silver Apple Bedtime Story
Monday, March 11 @ 6:30 pm / Story Hour/Craft Room
Venture off into dreamland with Silver Apple Takes to the Trail. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Teen Event: REI + Hiking Gadgets, Tips, and More
Tuesday, March 12 @ 3:30 pm / Morse Room
Come see fun hiking gadgets from REI, find out about hikes in the local area, learn tips about respecting and protecting the trails, pick up safety tips and hiking advice, and play the "Where in Natick is this?” game!
For grades 5-12. No registration necessary. Snacks & raffle prizes!
Nature Journaling: A Visual Workshop
Thursday, March 14 @ 7 pm / Community Room
Make a visual nature journal guided by collage artist and teacher Joan Onofrey. Learn to express your nature experiences through words and images.
Whether you are new to journaling or you already keep a journal and want to add another dimension, please join us. All materials will be supplied.
Children's Event: Saturday Open Art Drop In Craft Time
Saturday March 16 @ 10 am / Story Hour/Craft Room
Are there wild things in the woods? Come find out in this craft workshop. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Nature Appreciation: Apps for iPhones and iPads
Monday, March 18 @ 7 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Hall
Do you take your Apple mobile device when you go out to enjoy the outdoors? Do enjoy learning about birds, leaves, flowers, stars, or knowing what ships you see while walking on the beach?
We’ll view apps that enhance your knowledge and experience of the natural world around you! Demonstrations will include many apps available from the Apple iTunes store.
This program is for anyone with an iTunes account who is comfortable downloading and using apps on an iPhone or iPad.
Bacon Free Library Event: Natick Reads Book Group
Tuesday, March 19 @ 7 pm or Thursday, March 21 @ 10 am / Bacon Free Library
Come discuss A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk. All are welcome!
Bacon Free Library Event: Art For All - Feed the Birds Crafts
Friday, March 22, 3-5 pm / Bacon Free Library
Join us for a nature craft program making special winter treats for our feathered friends. We’ll hang our creations around the BFL grounds for the birds to enjoy. Dress warmly for the outdoor part of the program! No registration required.
Bacon Free Library Event: The Twig Family in the Oak Tree Puppet Show
Saturday, March 23, 10:30 - 11:15 am / Bacon Free Library
Don’t miss award winning puppeteer Deborah Costine ’s The Twig Family in the Oak Tree, a gentle story about a family of "twig” people who live in harmony with nature.
Registration required. Call 508-653-6730 or sign up at Bacon Free Library. For children aged 3 and up.
Sing Around the Campfire
Saturday, March 23, 5:30 - 7 pm / Dug Pond - Memorial Beach, West Street, Natick
Enjoy the outdoors sitting around this beach campfire. As the sun sets, children’s librarian Kristen Arnold will get us singing popular camp songs accompanied by guitar and drums.
Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult.
Safe Outdoor Fun
Tuesday, March 26 @ 7 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Hall
Do you like to walk outside but worry about ticks?
The Natick Board of Health and the "Get Ticked” Committee present Dr. Telford from Tufts University. Dr. Telford is Massachusetts’ expert on tick-borne diseases. He’ll tell us what to look for and how to stay safe outdoors.
Teen Event: Let's Talk About A Walk in the Woods
Wednesday, March 27 @ 7:30 pm / Morse Room
Would you spend a month walking in the woods?
Could you survive without a cell phone or running water? Could you live on oatmeal? Is this walk a means to an end or a way of self discovery?
Snacks provided. Come even if you didn’t read the book.
Evening Book Group: A Walk in the Woods
Wednesday, March 27 @ 7:00 pm / Community Meeting Room
"The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparkling lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors." -Random House
Off the Beaten Path: 3 Hikers, 3 Approaches
Thursday, March 28 @ 7 pm / Lebowitz Meeting Hall
Ken Wadness, an AT (Appalachian Trail) hiker, John Galuzzo, a goal oriented hiker, and John Govoni, a barefoot hiker, will discuss their personal styles of hiking, why they choose to hike as they do and the benefits and joys of their hiking styles and experiences.