Special Announcements
The Sunday Season is starting! We are open on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from October to May, beginning this Sunday, October 1st.
Every first Monday of the month, pick up a packet of a new spice with fun recipes to try. First come, first served while supplies last.
Get the inside scoop with the library's podcast, Beyond Books! The hosts, Mike and Annie Lee, SPL's Assistant Director and Teen Librarian/Volunteer Coordinator, respectively, provide behind-the-scenes looks at the events, news, and people at the library.
Listen on our website (bottom right of the page), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Anchor. FM.
Open to all CW MARS patrons!
Interested in better focus, sleep, or relaxation? The library offers free access to the Headspace meditation app for CW MARS patrons on a monthly basis. Headspace includes exercises for meditation, focus, sleep, and movement that can help support your mental health and wellbeing.
Sign up between the 14th and 28th of the month for the month that follows (i.e., between October 14th and October 28th to request a November license).
Find out more on our website.
Library Programs
Spanish Conversation Club
Tuesdays, October 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, & 31st
6:00–7:00 p.m.
At the library
Are you looking for a casual space in which you can practice your Spanish and learn more about the multiple cultures of those who speak that language? Join the Spanish Conversation Club most Tuesdays in the second floor Learning Lab.
Visit our events calendar to confirm dates. No registration required.
Spanish Culture Club
Wednesdays, October 4th & 18th
6:00–7:00 p.m.
At the library
The Spanish Culture Club provides an open and casual learning environment outside of the classroom for adults to learn and practice the language as well as to celebrate the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries around the world. This club is not only about learning Spanish, but learning about Hispanic culture: cuisine, idioms, movies, food, and more.
The group will meet every other Wednesday; visit the library's event calendar to confirm dates. No registration required.
50+ Job Seekers Virtual Networking Group
First and third Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. (October 4th & 18th)
Second and fourth Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. (October 11th & 24th)
Virtual
If you are unemployed and actively looking, underemployed, seeking a new career direction, re-entering the job market after a long employment gap, or recently retired and looking for your "Encore Career," this networking group program is perfect for you! Remember, 85% of jobs are found through networking!
Join us in a professional forum for networking with peers in a safe and comfortable environment conducive to developing new relationships and developing skills and strategies to help in your career transition. Each meeting features a new topic. Meetings include a presentation and interactive workshop on topics relevant to career transition, guest speakers, access to hiring managers, small group breakout rooms to network, and 1-on-1 coaching guidance. Participating on a regular basis will give job seekers the many tools and strategies needed for a successful job search.
The group meets on Zoom from 9:30–11:30 a.m. on first and third Wednesday mornings, with repeat sessions on the same topics offered in the evenings from 6:00–8:00 p.m. on second and fourth Wednesday evenings. Attend either session to fit your schedule, however, registration is required.
This month's topics will be:
- Resumes - The Basics (October 4th at 9:30 a.m. & October 11th at 6:00 p.m.)
- Resumes - Part 2 (October 18th at 9:30 a.m. & October 24th at 6:00 p.m.)
This program takes place virtually on Zoom; please register to attend separately for each session:
- Register here for morning sessions (and to view the full list of topics).
- Register here for evening sessions (and to view the full list of topics).
This group is sponsored by more than 60 Massachusetts public libraries.
NOTE: The meetings are not recorded.
Zumba
Wednesdays, October 11th & 25th
6:00–7:00 p.m.
At the library
Join us for Zumba®, an interval-style dance fitness party that combines low-intensity and high-intensity moves. Burn lots of calories while moving to the rhythm with Latin-inspired dance moves. The best part of it all is that it doesn’t even feel like exercise! Dance fitness classes aren’t just great for cardiovascular health, but also tone muscles and improve balance and flexibility.
Zumba instructor Johanny Pineyro will lead this engaging class; no registration required.
The Salem Witchcraft Trials: What Really Happened?
Thursday, October 12th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Come learn about the "perfect storm" of conditions that culminated in tragic circumstances that have haunted us for centuries. The Salem witchcraft trials constitute one of the most mysterious and fascinating events in American history. We will explode five myths behind the outbreak of allegations of witchcraft in colonial America, examine the villains and heroes involved, and try to determine the reasons behind a raging mass hysteria.
Presenter Justice Dennis J. Curran (ret.) served as a Massachusetts trial judge for 15 years. He is a graduate of Boston Latin School, the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. and M.A.) and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
Halloween Hauntings
Saturday, October14th
2:00–3:00 p.m.
At the library
Join the Shrewsbury Public Library on Saturday, October 14th at 2:00 p.m. for Halloween Hauntings, two American tales of suspense presented in a unique one-woman show by professional actress Michèle LaRue. Written in the days of ominously flickering candles and kerosene lamps, “The Shadows on the Wall” and “The House That Was Not” continue to thrill.
In the wake of a sudden mysterious death, “The Shadows on the Wall” draws four siblings to a familiar but menacing New England parlor. “The House That Was Not” lures an unsuspecting new bride across the bleak Nebraska prairie. Authored by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (1903) and Elia Wilkinson Peattie (1898), respectively, these tales evoke the America of a century ago, enthralling audiences today.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
Ghosts and Legends with Jeff Belanger
Monday, October 16th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Join Jeff Belanger for a ghostly multimedia program. Pulling from Jeff's 25 years of research into the unexplained, this program will take you on a journey through the haunts and the unusual in your backyard and around the world.
Jeff Belanger is a storyteller, adventurer, journalist, and one of the most visible explorers of the unexplained today. He is also the Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the PBS/Amazon Prime series New England Legends; writes and researches for the Ghost Adventures series; and has been a guest on hundreds of television and radio networks and programs, including History, Travel Channel, PBS, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and BBC.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
Gardening is Murder
Tuesday, October 17th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Join the Shrewsbury Garden Club with Neal Sanders for a “spouse’s point of view” of gardening filled with humor and insight from someone who gardens less from an abiding love of horticulture than for the love of a spouse. Good horticultural advice is dispensed, bad advice is debunked. Attendees will leave with a better appreciation of what’s going on in the mind of their helpmates. The talk is adapted from presenter Neal Sanders’s widely read blog, The Principal Undergardener.
Some of the topics covered include:
- Why so much gardening advice on the internet is awful
- Why you never compute the value of your gardening labor
- Proof that wildlife doesn’t watch Walt Disney movies
- Why it requires digging three holes to plant one thing
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
Paranormal 101
Wednesday, October 18th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Join Paranormal New England for a Paranormal 101 presentation where attendees will learn about techniques, equipment, and terminology used for investigating the paranormal. Attendees may even get to see/hear some of the evidence they've collected over the years!
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
New England UFOs with Travel Channel's Ronny LeBlanc
Monday, October 23rd
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Did you know that the first documented UFO sighting was in Massachusetts? Join us for an evening of the strange and mysterious with Ronny LeBlanc from the Travel Channel / Discovery+ television series Expedition Bigfoot & Paranormal Caught on Camera and author of Monsterland: Encounters with UFOs, Bigfoot and Orange Orbs. Ronny will talk about UFOs of New England, highlighting some historic and recent sightings. The truth may be closer to home than you think!
Sponsored by the Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library.
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
The Radikals - Investigators and Archivists of the Unknown
Monday, October 30th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
At the library
Join the Radikals, Lauren and Danny Perez, for a fun evening of exploring the paranormal! While primarily working in the paranormal field on residential cases, they also work with various exorcists, demonologists, as well as other paranormal teams to remove “problematic” objects and contain them for safe keeping in their home/museum. They are the authors of the book, Paranormal Investigating: A Beginners Guide to the Supernatural.
This program will take place in person at the library; please register to attend.
Shrewsbury Genealogy Club
Tuesday, October 24th
7:15–9:15 p.m.
Virtual
Anyone interested in genealogy (or family history) can now join the Shrewsbury Genealogy Club from the comfort of their home! The club meets on Zoom at 7:15 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month.
To register, email the Genealogy Club’s clubmaster, former SPL Assistant Director George Brown, at geobrown1940@gmail.com.
Reading Glasses
Thursday, October 26th
7:00–8:30 p.m.
Virtual
The October meeting of Reading Glasses, SPL’s book group for adults in their 20s and 30s, will be on Thursday, October 26th on Google Meet.
We’ll be discussing The Cherry Robbers by Sarai Walker, “a 1950s gothic, complete with a haunted mansion, a controlling older man, a bevy of dying girls, and a heroine who escapes” (kirkusreviews.com).
New attendees, please email SPLreference@cwmars.org to be added to the notification list. All attendees will receive a Google Meet invite closer to the meeting date.
7 Scientific Reasons to Meditate Now
Thursday, October 26th
7:00–8:00 p.m.
Virtual
Join Manish Saggar, PhD and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, for a virtual presentation of neuroscientific data on how regular meditation practices improve physical, mental, and emotional health. He will also discuss how happiness and harmony can be gained by focusing one's attention during meditation.
Dr. Saggar directs the Brain Dynamics Lab at Stanford, which is dedicated to developing computational methods for neuroimaging data to better understand individual differences in brain functioning. He received his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford. As part of his doctoral work, he developed computational methods to understand how brain activity changes with intensive meditation training.
This program will take place virtually on Zoom; please register to attend.
Movie Matinee: Ghostbusters Afterlife
Saturday, October 28th
2:00–4:00 p.m.
At the library
Join the Shrewsbury Public Library for our Movie Matinee! A different film will be screened monthly in person at the library on a Saturday at 2:00 p.m. No registration required.
On October 28th, come enjoy a screening of Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021; Rated PG-13):"When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind."
