October 31, 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: Have you visited the Library at our temporary location? All of our circulating collections are still available at the temporary location! We have a Children’s, Young Adult, and Adult suite with browsing collections and some study and lounge areas. Primarily, new titles are available in the browsing collections but our other titles are in closed stacks. If the title that you want isn’t available on the second floor, a member of our staff will retrieve it for you from the closed stacks.
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, 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 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.)
Adult Events
VIRTUAL: The History of the Flying Santa of the Lighthouses, 1929-2025, with Jeremy D’Entremont, November 3, 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 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!
Adult Book Club: Thursday, November 13th at 6:30 p.m.
Well meet in person at 515 Groton Rd. to discuss The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson. Copies are available at Main Desk. Download the audiobook or e-book from Libby. Email Kristina Leedberg at kleedberg@westfordma.gov for more information!
Children’s and Young Adult Events
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 Jenn 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 Miss Jenn 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 Jenn 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.
Read with Ponies: Wed., Nov. 5, 3:30-5 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.
Storytime with the Book Princess: Wednesday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m.,
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.
YA Murder Mystery Party: Wednesday, November 12, 4-5:30 p.m., Westford Recreation Department at Roudenbush Community Center – 3rd floor, 65 Main Street. The mummy has vanished. Twelve suspects have been rounded up by the local police. It is time for our top guest detectives (you) to interview suspects and gather clues to solve the crime! For grades 5-8. Registration is required.
Stuffy Sleepover: Thursday, November, 13, 515 Groton Rd. Bring your stuffies over to the Children’s room and let them roam the library overnight! Drop-off will be from 2- 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 13. Drop off your stuffies and don’t forget to make them a nametag while you’re here! There will be lots of fun adventures in store for them, as well as a dance party! We’ll make sure to tuck them in for a good night’s sleep afterward. Pictures of their shenanigans will be posted on Instagram, @jvfletcherkids. Stuffies may be picked back up on Friday, November 14, starting at 1:00 p.m. No registration required.
Staff Recommends: Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis. “Abe Jacobs is Kanien’kehá:ka from Ahkwesáhsne-that’s People of the Flint, from Where the Partridge Drums-or, if you ask a white dude, a Mohawk Indian from the Saint Regis Tribe. Whichever way you cut it-and Dominick Deer Woods, our irreverent, wisecracking narrator, cuts it six ways to Sunday-at eighteen Abe left the reservation where he was raised and never looked back. Now forty-three, Abe is suffering from a rare disease-one his doctors in Miami believe will kill him. Running from his diagnosis and a failing marriage, Abe returns to the Rez, where he’s convinced to undergo a healing at the hands of his Great Uncle Budge. But this ain’t Sweet Home Ahkwesáhsne, as Dominick might say, and Budge-a wry recovered alcoholic prone to wearing band t-shirts featuring pot-bellied naked dudes-isn’t the least bit precious about his gift. Which is good, because his time off Rez has made Abe a thorough skeptic. However, to heal Abe will have to undertake a revelatory journey, confronting the parts of himself he’s hidden ever since he left home and learning to cultivate hope, even at his darkest hour.”
If you have questions or need assistance, please send us an email at westfordlibrary@westfordma.gov
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