Library Hours

Monday through Friday, 9:30-5:30 with extended hours on Tuesday until 7:00pm

The BFL will be closed on Saturdays in the summer. 

Curbside pickup is available during all open hours

Check our website for the most up-to-date information and to register for programs:  https://baconfreelibrary.org

Children’s Programs

Story Time -- Mondays and Tuesdays @ 10am -- We’ll feature a combination of stories for listening and songs for singing & dancing.  Held outside (unless it rains).

Baby Time -- Wednesdays @ 10am --  Join us for a cozy story time filled with lap bounces, rhymes, songs, and simple stories. Geared toward infants and young toddlers with their grownups. Always held indoors.  

Jammin with You -- Fridays, Aug 2nd, Aug 9th, & Aug 23rd @ 10:30am -- Be prepared to laugh, dance, sing, and jam your way through 30 minutes of non-stop family fun! Held outside (unless it rains)

Read to a Dog -- Friday,  August 16th, 3:00-4:15pm -- Kids can build confidence and practice their reading skills by reading out loud to a registered therapy dog! 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.

Goats & Giggles -- Friday, Aug 2nd @ 2-3pm -- Play and cuddle with some curious and friendly baby goats outside on the library lawn! The Farmer’s Helpers program from Chip-in Farm will be bringing their goats to the BFL for a visit.

All ages are welcome. Please note that participants may be required to wait in line, as the number of people interacting with the goats at a time will be limited for the animals’ comfort and safety. We’ll provide coloring pages and some farm-themed books to browse while waiting.

Professor Bugman’s Insect Safari -- Weds, Aug 7th @ 2:30pm -- 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 take place outdoors and is geared toward ages 4-12. Registration is required.

Buildwave Workshop -- Monday, Aug 12th @ 2pm -- Build and have fun in this creative, hands-on workshop that encourages play and collaboration. Participants will be given wave after wave of kits filled with different building materials toexplore. 

Geared toward kids entering grades K to 6. Registration is required.

PJ Story Time -- Tuesday, Aug 13th @ 6pm -- Put on your jammies, grab a favorite stuffed animal, and join us for a cozy evening story time! All ages are welcome.

Button Making -- Weds, Aug 14th, 2-4pm-- Stop by anytime between 2:00 and 4:00 to create your own cool button using our button maker! You can draw your own design or use a page from a discarded book or magazine. All ages are welcome.

Stacey Peasley Concert -- Tuesday, Aug 20th @ 5:30pm -- Let’s celebrate Summer Reading with BFL favorite, Stacey Peasley! With her creative lyrics, fun rhythms, and contagious energy, Stacey will infuse pure joy into your evening.

This concert will be outdoors on the BFL lawn, so bring a blanket or chairs to get comfy. Feel free to bring a picnic dinner as well. **If it rains, the show will be indoors at the Morse Institute Library.**

All Ages Programs

Featured art display, until August 7th: Marie Picard Craig Art Exhibit -- Marie Craig uses cyanotype, an early method of photography, to explore the overlap between concrete bodies, or still moments, and the life instilled in them. Her photographs capture places of formative choice, incorporating both intention and chance. Craig began her career as a medical photographer and illustrator after graduating from Clark University, MA with a master’s degree in biology. She later shifted her role to become a teacher, curator, photographer and gallerist, all in the fine art community. Marie has shown her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the US and Australia. In 2011 she co-founded Fountain Street Gallery in Boston and serves as its director. She lives and works in Natick, MA

Featured art display, August 8th - Sept 18th: Mary Weafer Photography -- Mary’s elegant photos capture art and nature in unique ways. 

Adult Programs

Garden Travel -- England: The Cotswolds, Cornwall, and Devon -- Tuesday, Aug 6th @ 6pm on Zoom -- Landscape photographer Joanne Pearson will be our guide through this armchair tour of 11 gardens in southwestern England. Among the highlights are the much revered Arts and Crafts style garden at Hidcote; the last surviving rococo garden in England at Painswick; the inspiring gardens at Drogo Castle, the last castle ever built in England; and the remarkable Eden Project.  This program will be held over zoom.  Register to receive the program link.

Maine Destinations for Stephen King Fans -- Tuesday, Aug 20th @ 7pm on Zoom --  In this virtual program, author Sharon Kitchens will discuss her new book, Stephen King’s Maine: A History & Guide. She’ll lead you on an exploration of Maine locations that serve as the basis for Stephen King’s fictional towns of Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot, Derry, and Haven. Drawing on historical materials and conversations with locals and people who know King, Kitchens talks about the places that would become the settings for Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Dead Zone, Cujo, IT, and 11/22/63.   This program will be held over zoom.  Register to receive the program link.

The Indigenous Old World -- An Exploration of Pre-Colombian North America -- Weds, Aug 21st @ 7pm on Zoom -- Christoph Strobel, Department Chair and Professor of History at UMASS Lowell, will bring us into the Indigenous Old World: Before European colonization, North America was filled with cities, towns, and villages. Across the continent, Indigenous peoples produced architecture and monumental construction. The ancient and medieval communities of North America were fed by agriculture. Moreover, Indigenous Americans actively managed their environment and participated in long distance exchange networks. 

This program will be held over Zoom.Register to receive the program link. 

Food Explorers: Spring Rolls - Thurs, Aug 29th @ 4pm -- Join Food Explorers for a delicious cooking program!  You’ll be making spring rolls with a registered dietitian. Learn how to soak and wrap your spring rolls and fill with an assortment of fresh veggies, rice noodles, and soy sauce. The recipe is nut free but will contain soy.

This in-person cooking class is for ages 16 and older. Registration is required.

Adult Book & Film Clubs - registration required for all clubs

https://baconfreelibrary.org/clubs-programs/

Mystery Book Club -- first Thursday of the month @ 1pm on Zoom

August 1st: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

History Book Club -- second Thursday of the month @ 11am on Zoom

August 8th: Four Lost Cities: a secret history of the urban age by Annalee Newitz

Nonfiction Book Club -- fourth Saturday of the month @ 10am on Zoom

August 24th:  Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert changed movies forever by Matt Singer

Tuesday Night Book Club – the fourth Tuesday of the month @ 6:30 pm at the library

August 27th:  Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Jaswal Balli Kaur

Cinephile Mondays -- last Monday of the month @ 4pm on Zoom; watch and discuss films. Check the BFL website for the film of the month and to register. 

Museum Passes

The Bacon Free Library and Morse Institute Library offer passes for free or reduced-admission to 30 local museums.  Check one out and plan your next day trip!