On the first floor of the Sharon Public Library at 1 School Street, there is a room that can be split in two. The library calendar lists the halves as Community Room A and Community Room B. On a typical Tuesday, one half might hold Chess Kids while the other sits empty. Starting tonight, the library hosts six days of events in a row. The run opens with a new town series, then fills the community room with a garden club show in its fifteenth year, and ends with the last events of the library's year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The room the new building added
The library has been at 1 School Street since its ribbon-cutting on May 19, 2025. According to the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the project was partly funded by a $7.5 million state construction grant. The move gave the library on-site parking, which the old location did not have. The building is also twice the size of the old one, with space for a teen room, a media lab, quiet study areas, and "a larger community room that can be separated into two smaller rooms."
A room that can be divided can host a small group in one half and a full exhibit across both. It can switch from flowers to a board meeting between afternoon and evening. From Friday through Tuesday it does all of that.
Regular library hours are Monday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed on Sundays. Those hours matter more than usual this week, because one event stays open on a day the rest of the building is closed.
Thursday: Discover Sharon starts tonight
The Town of Sharon's Discover Sharon series begins this evening, Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the library. The Town's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee runs the free monthly program with the Sharon Pluralism Network. Each evening focuses on one culture, with Sharon residents sharing the food, games, and traditions of their own heritage. Tonight's topic is Italian heritage.
The Town's announcement lists the evening's activities:
- Pasta making, including ravioli and gnocchi makers, with recipe handouts to take home
- Venetian mask decorating for children
- Guess the Pasta, a table game for all ages
- Scopa, a traditional Italian card game
- A short lesson in Italian words and phrases
- Displays of posters, books, postcards, and a soccer kit, plus a slideshow running all evening
- Food and refreshments
The Town says the series will run through the year. Events with the Chinese, Haitian, Indian, Jewish, Muslim, and Polish communities are in the works, and dates will be posted once confirmed. Residents who want to present their own culture at a future evening can sign up through the Town's page.
The building is busy earlier in the day too. At 2:30 p.m., Dogs at Work Story Time in the Children's Activity Space covers the ways dogs help people, and children can meet and pet Kallie, a therapy dog, before a themed craft. Registration is recommended, and walk-ins are welcome if space allows.
Friday through Monday: Books in Bloom, themed to the 250th
The morning after Discover Sharon, the community room becomes a gallery. For Books in Bloom, members of the Sharon Garden Club each create a floral arrangement that interprets a book, and the arrangements are displayed at the library. This year's theme matches the library's own year: "Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America."
The show started in October 2011 with twenty designers, each interpreting a favorite adult or children's book. In its preview of the show, Sharon Patch reported that the Garden Club and the Friends of the Sharon Public Library were co-hosting, with 20 to 25 arrangements in all. The Club's website still has its 2024 lineup, including Daniel Mason's North Woods arranged by Marcia Bridgeman, James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small arranged by Devin Teran, and Sara Nisha Adams's The Reading List arranged by Kate Mason. Those were 2024 picks. This year's books will be revealed in the room.
The opening reception is Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., after the library closes. The library's listing says the floral designers will be there to talk about their work and what inspired it, and that no library services are available during the reception. The Club's event page places the reception in the conference rooms to the left of the entrance.
Sunday shows the room's flexibility best. The library calendar marks Nov. 8 as "Library Closed," yet Books in Bloom is open from 1 to 4 p.m. that day, and the Club notes that Sunday visitors can get into the Community Rooms only.
The two official listings give different viewing hours. Both agree on Sunday and the reception, and the library says no registration is required. If you plan to arrive near the start or end of a block, call ahead.
| Day | Library calendar | Sharon Garden Club |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, Nov. 6 | 1 to 5:45 p.m. | Noon to 5 p.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 7 | 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Saturday reception | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | 6:30 to 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | 1 to 4 p.m. | 1 to 4 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 9 | 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
The rest of the building keeps running around the exhibit. On Friday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., children in kindergarten through fifth grade can join local artist Kashmica Sarkar in the Children's Activity Space for Diwali Art, with registration required. On Monday evening, a few hours after the flowers come down, the Friends of the Library meet in Community Room A at 6:30 p.m.
Monday and Tuesday: the 250th year comes to a close
The Books in Bloom theme ties into a year of library programming that ends this week. On Monday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., author and speaker Libby McNamee gives a virtual talk on the Petticoat Patriots of the American Revolution. The talk covers the "Daughters of Liberty" along with Martha Washington and Abigail Adams. The library's listing calls it the end of its "year-long celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence." Registration is required to get the Zoom link.
On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the 250th year has one more in-person event, and it uses both halves of the room. From 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. in Community Rooms A and B, Sandy Spector presents "A Personal Conversation in Martha Washington's Bedroom," performed in first person as if it were 1784. As Mrs. Washington finishes dressing for her day, she shares news of her family and talks about how her husband's work affects her household and the new nation. The program is listed with registration.
The next day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, the library is closed for Veterans Day.
After the room clears
The rest of November goes back to the room's usual pattern, with one half in use at a time. The SPL Book Discussion Group meets in Community Room B on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 1 to 2:15 p.m. to discuss Jonathan Evison's The Heart of Winter. It is drop-in, with no registration. Casual Crafting returns to Room B on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. for adults who want to bring a project or try the library's supplies.
Here is what is on the calendar after the library week:
- Thanksgiving pickup at Ward's Berry Farm, Nov. 24 or 25. The farm is taking orders for fresh Vermont turkeys, local rolls, and pies and breads baked at the farm, with pickup on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25.
- Winter night sky at Moose Hill, Dec. 4. Mass Audubon's adult series "A Nature Year at Moose Hill: Winter" opens Friday, Dec. 4, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a session on the night sky and winter constellations. Follow-up sessions are Jan. 7 and Feb. 5.
- Winter Tracking at Moose Hill, Dec. 5. "Hike & Craft: Winter Tracking" runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Families use animal tracks and signs as inspiration for a take-home craft, and registration is required.
- The Do-Gooders at the library, Dec. 5. Later that afternoon, from 3 to 4 p.m., the library's family volunteering group meets again. Registration opens Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m.
The Moose Hill tracking hike ends at 2:30 p.m. and the Do-Gooders start at 3, so a family can do both on Dec. 5. Registration for the library program opens next Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m.
Good connections to the people and places in town help with any move, whether it's a downsize after decades in one house or a first year somewhere new. At Mayer Realty Group, we follow the town calendar closely, and we bring that same attention to every client we work with. When your own plans include a move, start your seamless move: schedule a consultation.
