July Adult Programs

KARATE FOR ADULTS
Monday, July 14 | 12pm | Lovell Room
Sam Diaz from Stratford Shotokan Karate will be here to inspire us with some karate moves and share information on the benefits of learning this martial art.
Register HERE

PROPAGATION STATION – Houseplant Swap
Thursday, July 17 | 6pm | Lobby
Join our houseplant cutting swap! Bring cuttings from your houseplant to our Propagation Station and trade plant babies. It’s a great chance to share your love for plants, connect with fellow enthusiasts, exchange tips, and grow your indoor garden. All plant lovers from beginners to experts are welcome!

SPICE UP YOUR SUMMER:
Monday, July 21 | Reference Department
Stop by the Reference Desk and pick up a “Spice Up Your Summer: Pimenton Dulce Grab & Go kit”. Each kit contains a sample of the spice plus information and recipes to try.
Beginning Monday, July 21, you can stop at the Reference Desk to pick up a kit. There is no registration. Kits are first come, first served. Supplies are limited. One kit per household.

LIGHT SABER TRAINING for Adults & Teens
Saturday, July 26 | 12:15pm | Lovell Room
Learn about the ways of the Force and how to wield a lightsaber from real Jedi Masters. Kessel Temple is the Connecticut chapter of Saber Guild, an international Star Wars lightsaber performance organization. Costumes encouraged!
Register HERE

WORKSHOPS:

Workshop: AARP SAFE DRIVER COURSE
Saturday, July 12 | 10am | Lovell Room
The Stratford Library, in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), will offer another session of the “AARP Safe Driver Course”, a classroom driver retraining program designed to help older persons improve their driving skills. The one-day class program is the first comprehensive driver retraining course geared to the specific needs of older motorists.
Reservations is required.

Workshop: KICKSTART YOUR HEALTH: The Power of Food for Healthy Weight Management, Lower Cholesterol, and Increased Metabolism
Thursdays | 2pm | Lovell Room
July 17 – Chef Linda discusses today’s topic: The Power Plate (introduction to the benefits of plant-based eating)
July 31 – Breaking the Food Seduction + Appetite Control
August 7 – Healthy Blood Pressure.
Registration is required.

THEATRE:

READERS THEATRE SUMMER SHOWCASE 2025:
The Square One Theatre Company, in conjunction with the Stratford Library, returns with its annual program of live, staged readings of new plays! Free and Open to the public. Adult audiences, please.

• FATHERLAND by Stephen Sachs
  Thursday, July 3 | 7pm | Lovell Room
  In FATHERLAND a son works with the FBI to turn in his father for his MAGA activities on January 6. This is Stephen Sachs’ true courtroom drama.

• LADY JIGSAW by Stuart Brown
  Thursday, July 10 | 7pm | Lovell Room
  West Hartford playwright Stuart Brown returns to the Library with his original play about residents in an assisted living facility. Actors Lucy Babbitt, Mary Ellen Maloney, TJ Chila and Bruce Murray star.

• CONVERSATIONS WITH MOTHER by Matthew Lombardo
  Wednesday, July 16 | 7pm | Lovell Room
  A family comedy about a mother and her gay son’s relationship through the years.
  
  
• LUCY by by Erica Schmidt 
  Thursday, July 24 | 7pm | Lovell Room
  Comedic thriller about an overworked mom and the odd nanny she hires to watch her child. Danielle Sultini and Michelle Duncan will perform the reading directed by Tom Holehan.
• LEFT ON TENTH by Delia Ephron
  Wednesday, July 30 | 7pm | Lovell Room
  Delia Ephron’s touching memoir about finding love late in life is transferred to the stage.
  

Theatre: TWELFTH NIGHT
Saturday, July 12 | 2pm | Library Courtyard
Hudson Shakespeare returns to Stratford with a delightful production of the Bard’s romantic comedy, TWELFTH NIGHT. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to spread in the Library Courtyard. In the event of rain, performance will be held in the Library Lovell Room. Free and open to the public!

CONCERTS:

“TUNES & TALES FROM CONNECTICUT”
Monday, July 7 | 7pm | Lovell Room
Kent Besocke, a Connecticut singer-songwriter, brings his unique program, “Tunes & Tales from Connecticut,” to the Library!
This engaging program blends captivating storytelling with well-crafted songs, exploring the fascinating characters, local history, strange occurrences, legends, myths, mysteries, and folklore of our Nutmeg State. The music features acoustic guitar, 5-string banjo, and mandolin, creating a rich and evocative soundscape.

THE FRANK PORTO BAND
Monday, July 14 | 7pm | Lovell Room
The Frank Porto Band returns to the Library! They have a Vibrant Big Sound playing hit music from The Great American Song Book featuring songs: from Sinatra and Big Band Classics to The Beatles, The 4 Seasons and James Brown. TFPB members include: Frank DeVito on Sax and Clarinet, Fred Mariano on Trumpet and Flugelhorn, Jim Olbrys on Guitar, Don Hurta on Bass, Ken Ginsberg on Drums and John Noonan on Vocals.

NEW ENGLAND GUITAR SOCIETY
Saturday, July 19 | 2pm | Lovell Room
NEGS returns to the Stratford Library for their annual mid-summer concert!

CAREER & TECH HELP:

Career Coach: AI FOR JOB SEEKERS
Monday, July 14, 10am to 12pm & 1pm to 3pm | Career Coach Bus parks on Main Street near the library front entrance.
This workshop will introduce you to the basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and demonstrate how it can empower your job search efforts. The same material is covered in both sessions.
Register HERE for 10am-12pm session
Register HERE for 1-3pm session

Monday Morning Buzz
Monday, July 7 | 11am | Lovell Room
Stop in to hear what’s new, what’s hot, and what books are creating a buzz! Staff will lead an informal discussion of books, movies and more. Share what you’re reading and watching and hear from others!

Books on Tap (BOT) 
Books, Brews, and Bantor
Tuesday, July 8 | 7pm to settle, 7:30pm to talk
Join us at the Whiskey Barrel located at 251 E. Main St, Stratford.
We will be discussing I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue. In this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts.
Copies available at the Checkout Desk. 

Little Gems
Wednesday, July 9 | 11am | Lovell Room
Join the adult book discussion of Fair Play by Tove Jansson. A New York Review Books Original Winner of the 2009 Bernard Shaw Prize for Translation.  A novel about two older women, a writer and artist, who work side-by-side in their Helsinki studios, travel together and share summers on a remote island. It is the type of love story that is rarely told, a revelatory depiction of contentment, hard-won and exhilarating.
Copies available at the Checkout Desk.

CREATE:

MONDAY MATINEES

• A Complete Unknown
  Monday, July 7 | 12pm | Lovell Room
  New York, 1961. A young Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) arrives with his guitar and revolutionary talent, forging relationships with music icons on his meteoric rise which culminates in a groundbreaking and controversial performance that reverberates worldwide
  Rated R, 141 minutes
• Dune Part Two
  Monday, July 21 | 12pm | Lovell Room
  Dune: Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
  Rated PG-13, 166 minutes