October 17, 2025
News from the J.V. Fletcher – 515 Groton Rd. (temporary location), Westford, 978-399-2300.
Unless otherwise noted, the following programs are made possible by the Friends of the Library.
Director’s Corner: We continue to add more titles to Hoopla Flex! Our Hoopla digital collection is growing! In addition to the 10 hoopla Instant borrows you receive each month with your Library card, Westford residents will now have 5 hoopla Flex borrows to use on bestselling titles, specially marked hoopla Flex eBooks and Audiobooks
With Hoopla Flex titles, you will find new and popular e-books and audiobooks that you can borrow now or place on hold to read later. This collection is just for Westford cardholders, so the wait time for new titles is significantly less than other digital collections shared with the consortium.
Not familiar with Hoopla? With Hoopla, patrons can read, watch, and listen to more than 950,000 eBooks, digital audiobooks, comics, movies, or TV shows that are available to stream or download. Sign up for Hoopla for free with a Westford Library card at hoopladigital.com or download the Hoopla app from your favorite app store.
Friends of the Library Annual Meeting and Holiday Book Sale and Raffle – Friday Evening, November 14, and Saturday, November 15! New for 2025! Join us for this unique two-day event, featuring holiday-themed items, gift-quality items, a blind date with a book or puzzle, and exciting raffle prizes.
The weekend will also include the Annual Meeting, featuring Speaker Ted Reinstein, at 2:00 on Saturday.
Schedule of Events
Friday, November 14
- 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. Holiday Book Sale and Raffle – NOTE: You do not need to be a Friends’ member to attend the Friday evening sale. All are welcome.
Saturday, November 15
- 10:00 AM-1:30 p.m. Holiday Book Sale and Raffle
- 2:00-4:00 p.m. Annual Meeting with Ted Reinstein
- 4:00-5:30 p.m. Holiday Book Sale and Raffle
All activities will take place at First Parish Church United, on the Common at 48 Main St. Parking is available at the church, on Lincoln Street, and in marked spaces on Connell Drive. Additional parking lots are available at Roudenbush Community Center, Frost School, Town Hall, and the Westford Police Department.
Friends of the Library Annual Meeting Speaker – Ted Reinstein
The 2025 Annual Meeting will take place on Saturday, November 15, at First Parish Church United, 48 Main Street. The speaker will be a Massachusetts native and well-known journalist and author, Reinstein. The business portion of the afternoon will begin at 2:00 pm, and Ted will speak at 2:30. The public is invited to attend and enjoy the speaker; only members and donors can vote.
Ted will discuss his latest book, Travels Through the Heart and Soul of New England. After the presentation, Ted will take questions from the audience and sign copies of his book. (A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the event.)
Weekly Children’s Drop-In Craft: Don’t be scared! Come into the children’s room this week, where you can pick a spooky friend to take a hot air balloon ride with!
Bouncing Babies: Every Thursday through December 18, 10:30—11:00 a.m. Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor 65 Main St. Join Miss Hannah and Miss Jill for Bouncing Babies!
This will be a baby-centered program (ages 0-2) focusing on songs, rhymes, bounces, movement activities, and stories! No Registration Required
Time with Tots: Every Thursday through December 18, 11:00—11:30 a.m. Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor 65 Main St. Join Miss Hannah and Jill for Time with Tots, centered around children ages 3 and up. We will be reading stories, doing silly dances, singing songs, and having lots of fun! No Registration Required
Mother Goose: Every Tuesday, through December 16, 10:30—11:15 a.m.
Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor, 65 Main St. Join Miss Jill and Miss Hannah for Mother Goose, an interactive story time for children ages 0 and up with their caregivers. We include books, songs, interaction with puppets, fun movements, and of course, dancing! No Registration Required.
Mike Bent Magic Show: Monday, October 20, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Roudenbush Community Center, Room 105, 65 Main St. Ready to be dazzled? Mike Bent is bringing his AbraKIDabra show back to us this fall. Prepare to be amazed, prepare to be astounded, and prepare to have a lot of fun! Registration is required.
Zombie Head Felting: Tuesday, October 21, 4:30-6 pm, Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor, 65 Main Street. For 5-12 graders. Join us for a fun and imaginative crafting experience and bring your own zombie to life with green skin, big eyes, snaggle teeth, and your own creative touches. Our expert instructor will guide you through each step using wool and a needle. Registration is required.
Read with Ponies: Wednesday, October 22, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Good Pickin’ Farm, 5 Gould Rd. What’s better than taking some time to relax and read? When that time is spent with a pony! We welcome you to join us at Good Pickin’ Farm, where you will be able to read to a pony! Each child who signs up will get 15 minutes solo to read with a pony. There are six 15-minute spots available in this session. The program is open to kids aged 6-9. We will notify you of your child’s time slot. Children may bring their own book from home or choose to read one from the Library collection. Please arrive at the barn 5-10 minutes before your session begins. Registration is required.
Monday Mystery Book Club: Monday, October 27th at 2:30 p.m.
We’ll meet in person on the 3rd floor of Roudenbush Community Center – Westford Recreation Dept., 65 Main St, to discuss Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Copies are available at the Main Desk. The e-book and audiobook are both available to download from Libby. No registration required. Email Linda Ernick at lernick@westfordma.gov for details!
YA Intro to Horse Care: Monday, October 27, 4:00-5:00 p.m., Good Pickin’ Farm, 6 Gould Road, Westford. New! We are opening this program up to 5-12 graders! Registration and a waiver are required and will be sent via email prior to the event. This program will introduce students to the equine program at Good Pickin’ Farm. Activities will include observation and horse behavior basics, as well as grooming and equine welfare management. Students will also learn how to become a volunteer in a therapeutic riding class as a side walker or a horse handler. The goal is to showcase the many ways an afternoon at the farm can be fun and beneficial to our horses and riders through care and kindness.
YA Crafternoon – light up air-dry clay ghosts: Tuesday, October 28, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor, 65 Main Street. For 5-12 graders. Come sculpt air-dry clay with us! Registration is required.
YA Reader’s Trivia: Wednesday, October 29, 4-5 p.m., Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor, 65 Main Street. For 5-8 graders. Join us for an exciting round of trivia about middle-grade books and authors! Participants may form teams of up to 4 people, but don’t worry if you don’t have a team assembled – we can arrange one! Registration for each participant is required.
VIRTUAL: Halloween: A Haunted History October 29th, 6-7:30 p.m.
Ah, Halloween. Autumnal breezes, crisp leaves, and pumpkin-flavored everything! What is it about this time of year that is so enchanting, so mystifying? In this lecture, Dustin Pari sheds some light on the spooky shadows of Halloween history and traditions. Ghost stories? He has some of those, too. Registration is required.
VIRTUAL: The History of the Flying Santa of the Lighthouses, 1929-2025, with Jeremy D’Entremont, November 3rd, 7:00-8:00 p.m. The aerial visits of the Flying Santa to lighthouses and lifesaving stations have been a New England tradition since 1929. The program was inaugurated by Bill Wincapaw, a pioneering Maine pilot. Edward Rowe Snow, the popular New England historian and storyteller, became involved in the 1930s and kept the flights going through 1980. Today, the nonprofit organization Friends of Flying Santa works to continue the flights as a gesture of gratitude to the men, women, and families of the Coast Guard who keep watch over our coastal waters. Thousands of hours are volunteered each year to ensure the success of the helicopter flights that include the children of Coast Guard families from Maine to New York. Register Here.
Adult Nonfiction Book Club: Tuesday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. We’ll meet in person at 515 Groton Road to discuss Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, by Fareed Zakaria. Copies are available at the Main Desk. The ebook and audiobook are available to download from Libby. No registration required. Email Bari Pender at bpender@westfordma.gov for more information!
Storytime with the Book Princess: Wednesday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m., 65
Roudenbush Community Center, 65 Main St., Room 105. The Book Princess will be gracing us with her presence at the Roudenbush Community Center. She will graciously read us a story and regale us with her princess ways. There will be time for photos at the event, as well as a scavenger hunt. Registration is required for this event. Registration for this event opens on Wednesday, October 22 at 10:00 a.m.
Staff Recommends: Careless people: a cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams.” An insider account charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.”
If you have questions or need assistance, please send us an email at westfordlibrary@westfordma.gov
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