Environmental Book Discussion
2025-05-20 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join us for a Zoom discussion of Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future by Daniel Lewis
Copies of the book will be available at the Bacon Free Library.
Order your own copy HERE
Join environmental enthusiast, Arthur Ensroth, in discussing current, historical and future environmental issues through books! We’re finding ways to become more engaged and participatory in the natural world, educating ourselves on the climate challenges we face and looking at the history and philosophy of how the environment has been viewed through the ages.
The BFL is collaborating with Broadmoor, Mass Audubon with this book group. We thank them for sharing their mission with us.
Please email glesellier@minlib.net for the Zoom meeting details.

Maps of Natick Art Exhibit
2025-05-21 - 2025-06-30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Stop by the BFL to view a selection of Natick Historical Society’s maps of Natick, on display May 21st to June 30th. These fascinating reproductions show the streets, properties, and bodies of water of Natick, while some also display sketches of trees & buildings, and in one case, the handwritten names of property owners. Among the historic gems are:

an 1830 land survey of Bigelow Mills
an 1887 map of Cochituate
an 1887 rendering of South Natick including sketches of noteworthy buildings
a map of Felchville, circa 1908
an illustrated map reproduced in 1976 by Natick Five Cents Savings Bank for the Town of Natick Bicentennial Committee

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Maps are available for viewing and purchase at the Natick Historical Society year round. Learn more at natickhistoricalsociety.org.

Instrument Petting Zoo - May
2025-05-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
The Bacon Free Library is partnering with Bach to Rock in Wellesley to bring you this instrument petting zoo. B2R will bring a variety of musical instruments to the Bacon for 60 minutes of instrument exploration to give people of all ages a chance to learn about instruments and experience playing them. This event will be held outdoors at our picnic table.
Please stop by to try out an instrument, or two, that you’re curious about. No registration required.

Closed for Memorial Day
2025-05-26 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
The BFL will be closed today in honor of Memorial Day.

Cinéphile Mondays
2025-05-26 16:00 - 17:30 | MA
Cinephilia is an academic word literally meaning “love of cinema,” but it also contains hints of nostalgia and passion for a film art that was undoubtedly the defining media experience of the twentieth century.
As such, cinema has a variegated and fascinating history which extends well beyond the Hollywood we are all familiar with. Meant as a tribute to the film art around the world, from the days of silent cinema to the new waves and beyond, our cinephile Mondays is a slow and tasteful appreciation of the First Century of Cinema. The films will be selected on the basis of their relevance for the development of the film art. On the last Monday of the month, cinephiles of the world unite!
Watch a movie at home and then join Film history & Media studies Professor MV for a virtual discussion.
For Monday
For Monday May 26, we will be discussing:
Il deserto rosso (Red Desert) by Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy 1964.
Available in the Minuteman network Criterion DVD HERE

If you are interested in attending this Zoom discussion, please contact Graziella at glesellier@minlib.net

Tuesday Book Discussion
2025-05-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join us at the library for a discussion of: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Copies of the book are available at the library.
Order your own copy HERE
If you are interested in attending, please contact Graziella at glesellier@minlib.net
The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. A book discussion program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

VIRTUAL: Q&A with Romance Author Nalini Singh on "Archangel's Ascension"
2025-05-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A VIRTUAL PROGRAM THAT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA ZOOM. Registrants will receive a link to access the Zoom Webinar via email.

Join us for a lively conversation with blockbuster romance author, Nalini Singh. We’ll definitely chat about her most recent Guild Hunter Series book Archangel’s Ascension, and there will be spoilers — you have been warned!! Be prepared for a rapid fire Q&A about all things SparkleBell — we’ll have our own questions but we know that Nalini fans are endlessly curious and enthusiastic so we expect this will be a wonderfully raucous discussion.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is held in partnership with a multitude of MA Libraries.
Register directly on Zoom HERE. This program is at 7pm ET (Boston Time). If you know you cannot make it live please do not register with zoom (so we have plenty of space for those who can attend) but fill out THIS FORM to receive the video link.

About the Author
Nalini Singh was born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand. She spent three years living and working in Japan, where she took the opportunity to travel around Asia, and is now back in New Zealand.
About Nalini’s writing, in her own words: “I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. All of my stories held a thread of romance, even when I was writing about a prince who could shoot lasers out of his eyes. Creating unique characters and giving them happy endings is my favorite thing. I even love the voices in my head, so there’s no other job I’d rather be doing. When I got the call in September 2002 that Silhouette Desire wanted to buy my first book, Desert Warrior, it was a dream come true. I hope to continue living the dream until I keel over of old age on my keyboard.”
About the Book, Archangel’s Ascension
Aodhan and Illium. Adi and Blue. Sparkle and Bluebell. Friends become lovers, their future a wild unknown.
Finally reunited in New York, they must now learn to navigate the monumental shift in their relationship. But for these two members of Archangel Raphael’s legendary Seven, there is no time to rest. As they investigate a case for the Tower that echoes the darkness from Aodhan’s past, they will be forced to confront not only the scars that mark them both, but the promise of a vast power that flickers in Illium.
The threat of ascension has haunted and troubled Aodhan’s Blue for too long, the forces of change immutable and without mercy…and uncaring of Illium’s fierce wish to remain part of the Seven. Change is a constant in an immortal’s life, and this new horizon will bring with it both terrible heartbreak and a joy extraordinary enough to reverberate through time…

If you’d like to purchase a signed copy of Nalini’s book, you can do so through East City Bookshop. In the comment section of checkout, please include “Ashland” and note that you would like your book to come with a signed bookplate.

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

Nonfiction Book Club
2025-05-31 10:00 - 11:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
**PLEASE NOTE: this month we are meeting on the 5th Saturday of the month (rather than the 4th) to avoid interfering with Memorial Day weekend**
This month, we will discuss The Prize Winner of Defiance, OH: How my mother raised 10 kids on 25 words or less by Terry Ryan.

From Simon & Schuster:
Terry Ryan introduces us to her mother, Evelyn Ryan, an enterprising woman who kept poverty at bay with wit, poetry, and perfect prose during the “contest era” of the 1950s and 1960s.

Copies of this book are available at the library.
Our discussion will be on Zoom. Please register here to receive the meeting details:

Virtual: Death in the National Parks: Who, How, and Why with Author Randi Minetor
2025-06-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Why do some people lose their lives in America’s national parks? Randi Minetor, author of seven books in the nonfiction Death in the National Parks series, will explore the fatal mistakes people make when they venture into unfamiliar wilderness. Some forget critical steps in their preparation, forging off into wild lands far too challenging for their level of experience. Some refuse advice, ignoring warnings from rangers and more seasoned adventurers. Others are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming victims of a lightning strike or a falling rock—or ravenous grizzly bears. And some fall prey to human predators.
Randi will share highlights of her in-depth research and what it reveals about the people who perish in the parks. Most importantly, she will provide tips on how to avoid your own disaster in a national park. Be ready for your summer vacation plans with this pertinent and, probably, humorous presentation!
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is in collaboration with the Chelmsford, Groton, and Tewksbury Libraries and is in partnership with a multitude of MA & NH libraries.
Please register here for the Zoom link.

About the Author
Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Randi Minetor discovered the backcountry wonders of America’s national parks in 1992 with her husband, photographer/lighting designer Nic Minetor. That first trip changed her life, and by 2000, the Minetors had pledged to see all 391 (now 429) national parks in their lifetimes. They found a way to subsidize this passion in 2006, when they began writing and photographing books on the parks for The Globe Pequot Press (now Rowman & Littlefield). Today Randi has written more than 90 books, including seven books in the nonfiction Death in the National Parks series, ten hiking guides in New York State, several bird-finding guides, and even reference books on health topics. To date, they have visited 354 national parks. In addition, Nic’s photography appears in eight Quick Reference Guides to the Birds, Trees, and Wildflowers of New York City and New York State, and The Trees and Wildflowers of the Mid-Atlantic States. The Minetors live in Rochester, NY.

Note: This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants soon after the program. It will be available on YouTube for one month.

Lapsit Storytime
2025-06-04 10:00 - 10:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Stories, bounces, and songs for babies 0-24 months and their grownups!
The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Mystery Book Club
2025-06-05 13:00 - 14:00 | MA
Join us for a virtual Zoom discussion of A Death in Brittany by Jean-Luc Bannalec. Copies available at the library, or borrow through Libby. Please email cstirling@minlib.net to register and receive the Zoom link.

Read to a Dog
2025-06-07 10:00 - 11:15 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Build confidence and practice your reading skills by reading out loud to a registered therapy dog! This program will be held at the Bacon Free Library this month. Children ages 5 and up can sign up for a 15 minute reading session with Sophie, a gentle golden retriever who loves belly rubs, stories, and cuddles.
Registration is required for each child attending.

The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Circus Tots Class
2025-06-09 11:00 - 11:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Take your first steps into the magical world of circus with this class from our neighbors at Eastern Acrobatics! Kids ages 3-6 will learn some simple and fun circus skills outdoors on the BFL lawn. Registration is required for each child attending.

Juggling Class for Kids
2025-06-10 16:30 - 17:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
LOCATION CHANGE: Due to rain, the class will be held at Eastern Acrobatics (28 Eliot St.).
Learn some basic juggling skills in this fun outdoor class from our neighbors at Eastern Acrobatics! Geared toward kids ages 7 and up. Registration is required.

Juggling Class for Adults
2025-06-10 17:30 - 18:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
LOCATION CHANGE: Due to rain, the program will be held at Eastern Acrobatics (28 Eliot St.).
Learn some basic juggling skills in this fun outdoor class from our neighbors at Eastern Acrobatics! This session is for adults. Registration is required.

History Book Club
2025-06-12 11:00 - 12:00 | MA
Join us for a virtual discussion of Countdown 1960: the behind-the-scenes story of the 312 days that changed America’s politics forever by Chris Wallace.
Copies of the book will be available at the Bacon Free Library.
Order your own copy HERE
For details on how to attend this virtual meeting via Zoom, please contact director@natickhistoricalsociety.org
The Zoom link to the discussion will be sent at a later date.

Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America - streaming documentary film
2025-06-13 09:00 - 2025-06-27 22:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Vanish chronicles the “visual preservation” adventures of fine art photographer, Jim Westphalen, as he travels across the country seeking out and creating stunning imagery of America’s disappearing rural structures. Equal parts art, history, and storm chasing, this film takes you on a road-trip with Westphalen as he races against time and the unrelenting elements to capture the extraordinary beauty of aging barns, one-room schoolhouses, grain elevators, prairie churches, and other classic structures that our country’s rural heritage was built upon. Vanish also features deep-dive interviews with preservation experts as well as the passionate people who strive and struggle to save these fading treasures, sharing their intimate stories of dreams, loss, and triumphs.
Please register below to view the film. You will receive the link to screen the film on June 13th. The link will be good through June 27th

The streaming link may not be shared with anyone outside of your class, campus event or community event, or posted on any website or social media page that is accessible to the public. Do not post this on Youtube, Facebook or any public platform. GOOD DOCS film and video content is protected by United States copyright law. Duplication, reproduction, alteration, television broadcast or cablecast, (except for on- campus closed circuit), loaning for a fee, leasing, sublicensing to others or use for any commercial purposes (i.e. charging admission) is strictly prohibited without express written permission from GOOD DOCS.

Summer Storytime
2025-06-16 10:00 - 10:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join us on Mondays and Tuesdays for stories and songs! Outdoors, weather permitting. Bring along a blanket to get comfy.
Note: if the weather is wet or below 55 degrees, we’ll move this storytime indoors. The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. This program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Virtual: Summer Romance Beach Read Recommendations with Lorelei of Lorelei’s Lit Lair
2025-06-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
If you know romance, you probably know Lorelei! Affectionately referred to as a passionate romance ambassador, Lorelei has been offering book recommendations through social media since 2010. In this program, Lorelei will chat about the books she’s looking forward to reading this summer — the best of romance beach reads! If your TBR pile isn’t already groaning, it will be! Grab a cool drink and join us.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is in collaboration with the Chelmsford, Groton, and Tewksbury Libraries and is in partnership with a multitude of MA & NH libraries.
Register here for the Zoom link

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

About the Speaker
With her social media platform, Lorelei has created a safe and friendly online space for book lovers around the globe. In addition to book recommendations, she offers author spotlights, giveaways, reader-author connections, and more.
Since 2015, Lorelei has hosted sold-out literary events in Orlando, FL, partnering with the Orange County Library and, most recently, the Winter Park Library for the annual Romancing the Books Festival.
Lorelei is now one of the hosts of Bookspace.world, the ultimate haven for readers and writers.
Romance readers can also join Let’s Talk Romance Books, an exclusive virtual membership where Lorelei brings her signature in-person event experience online. Meet up-and-coming and bestselling authors, enjoy engaging discussions, and connect with fellow book lovers—all from the comfort of home.
Want to stay connected? Join Lorelei’s free community at Lorelei’s Lit Lair!

Closed for Juneteenth
2025-06-19 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
The BFL will be closed today in honor of Juneteenth.

Environmental Book Discussion
2025-06-21 12:00 - 13:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join us for a Zoom discussion of A city on Mars: can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? by Kelly Weinersmith
Copies of the book will be available at the Bacon Free Library.
Order your own copy HERE
Join environmental enthusiast, Arthur Ensroth, in discussing current, historical and future environmental issues through books! We’re finding ways to become more engaged and participatory in the natural world, educating ourselves on the climate challenges we face and looking at the history and philosophy of how the environment has been viewed through the ages.
The BFL is collaborating with Broadmoor, Mass Audubon with this book group. We thank them for sharing their mission with us.
Please email glesellier@minlib.net for the Zoom meeting details.

Virtual: "Dead End Road" with True Crime Author E.C. Hanson
2025-06-23 19:00 - 20:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
In June 1977, Renee Freer, nicknamed Giggles, went out to play with her friends. A few hours later, she was found bludgeoned to death with a rock. In a true crime book unlike most others, E.C. Hanson stumbles upon an unsolved murder case that haunted his former stepfather. Unable to get specifics from the old and new guard of detectives, Hanson forges ahead, mining what he can from previously released articles and people who lived in the neighborhood at the time. An unusual yet passionate text, Dead End Road honors Renee Freer’s memory and asks “how will you help?”
Join us for this conversation with E.C. as he discusses this book, his research, and his goal in pursuing this cold case.
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and is in collaboration with the Chelmsford, Groton, and Tewksbury Libraries and is in partnership with a multitude of MA & NH libraries.
Register here for the Zoom link

RECORDING NOTE: This program will be recorded. All registrants will receive the recording via email within 48 hours of the program.

About the Author
E. C. Hanson is an author of Western and horror fiction. His books include All Things Deadly: Salem Stories; Wicked Blood; Fake Somebodies/Real Nobodies; The Clairvoyant; The Stepney Green Killer; Mischief Night (with Mark Towse); Mothman Haze; Lone Wolf; Death County; Whiskey Tears; and Scarecrow Slaughter.
His works have been positively reviewed by Kirkus, Phantasmagoria, and Scream Magazine.
Applause Books and Smith & Kraus published 8 of his ten-minute plays. Over 35 of his short plays have been developed and produced across the United States.
E.C. earned his MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU in 2013 and received an “Outstanding Writing For The Screen” certificate.

Big Bubbles with Mr. Vinny the Bubble Guy
2025-06-24 16:00 - 16:45 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Kick off Summer Reading with some running, jumping, bubble-popping fun! With his giant, homemade bubble wands, Mr. Vinny gets kids and adults involved in bubble chasing games. Silly, interactive entertainment for all ages!
***This program will be held outdoors at the Bacon Free Library. The weather will be very hot! We’ll have bottled water, plenty of shade, and a sprinkler for cooling off in the heat.***

Tuesday Book Discussion
2025-06-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join us at the library for a discussion of: Hello beautiful: a novel by Ann Napolitano
Copies of the book are available at the library.
Order your own copy HERE
If you are interested in attending, please contact Graziella at glesellier@minlib.net
The historic nature of our building limits accessibility. A book discussion program is also offered in an accessible location at the Morse Institute Library (click here for dates, times, and more information).

Professor Bugman's Insect Safari
2025-06-27 15:00 - 16:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Come explore the arthropod biodiversity outside in your own community with a real entomologist! Professor Bugman will bring the equipment and expertise; you bring the curiosity!
This program will be held outdoors at the BFL. Geared toward ages 4-12. Registration is required.

Nonfiction Book Club
2025-06-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
This month, we will discuss In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri.

In this book, Pulitzer prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri details her passion project — achieving fluency in Italian. Jhumpa and her family moved to Italy to fully immerse themselves in the culture and the language. In this book, she documents and reflects on her journey to finding a new voice. Her story is presented in both Italian and English, on facing pages.
Copies of this book are available at the library.

Our discussion will be on Zoom. Please register here to receive the meeting details:

Drop-In Plein Air Art Studio
2025-06-30 13:30 - 16:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
Join Natick landscape artist Barbara Levine this summer for drop-in plein air painting on the grounds of the Bacon Free Library. (Other locations may be considered as well.)
All levels of painters, and all mediums are welcome. Supplies will not be provided, so please bring your own equipment including: easels, paints, brushes, any solvents or mediums used, painting surfaces, paper towels, drinking water, hats, garbage bags, sunscreen and good humor.
Barbara will be on hand to offer suggestions during this recurring 2-hour program. Come to as many sessions as you like and please arrive by 1:30pm in order to have time to set up.
Please register for the sessions you will be attending, so that we have an idea of how many artists to expect each week and so we may contact you if the program is canceled due to inclement weather.
This program is for adults only.

Cinéphile Mondays
2025-06-30 16:00 - 17:30 | MA
Cinephilia is an academic word literally meaning “love of cinema,” but it also contains hints of nostalgia and passion for a film art that was undoubtedly the defining media experience of the twentieth century.
As such, cinema has a variegated and fascinating history which extends well beyond the Hollywood we are all familiar with. Meant as a tribute to the film art around the world, from the days of silent cinema to the new waves and beyond, our cinephile Mondays is a slow and tasteful appreciation of the First Century of Cinema. The films will be selected on the basis of their relevance for the development of the film art. On the last Monday of the month, cinephiles of the world unite!
Watch a movie at home and then join Film history & Media studies Professor MV for a virtual discussion.
For Monday June 30, we will be discussing:
McCabe & Mrs. Miller by Robert Altman
USA 1971.
Available on Kanopy HERE
Criterion DVD available in the Minuteman network​ HERE

If you are interested in attending this Zoom discussion, please contact Graziella at glesellier@minlib.net

Joshua Mondshein Photography
2025-07-01 00:00 - 2025-08-27 17:00 | Bacon Free Library, 58 Eliot Street, Natick, MA, 01760, United States
The photography of Joshua Mondshein will transport you to beautiful and magical places. Come to the BFL to view his work, which will be on display from July 1st through August 27th. You can also enjoy this collection of photography at The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) during the month of October.

waterfall2waterleavesgrass2fieldcowestateboardwalk

Joshua Mondshein is a Natick resident whose passion for photography has led him to majestic landscapes throughout New England and across the world. Alluring sunsets and flowing waterfalls are two of his favorite subjects, and Josh is often found exploring local trails, parks and forests in search of the next striking photo opportunity.
Josh lives with his wife and Golden Retriever in the Walnut Hill neighborhood of Natick. He loves playing tennis, watching baseball, and making the morning espresso; he currently works as an application developer in higher education.

Closed for July 4th
2025-07-04 08:00 - 17:00 | MA
The BFL will be closed today in honor of Independence Day.
