Hello, Friends!
April is here, and we hope that you'll join us for an event or to borrow a book! We'll be closed on Friday, April 3 for Good Friday, and Sunday, April 5 for Easter, but we look forward to seeing you all the other days this month!
For events this month, we are especially excited about our program on how to draw Impossible Animals, with cartoonist Rick Stromoski (ages 7-11); and our Blackout Poetry craft event for teens, to celebrate National Poetry Month! For adults, we look forward to hosting author Tom Drennen for a talk about his work of historical fiction, Guardian Guerrillas: As told by Frank James.
This month also finds us taking part in the Connecticut Library Association’s "Passport to Connecticut Libraries" Program! Check out our announcement below to find out how you can participate to win a $200 VISA gift card for visiting libraries around the state!
Best wishes,
The Staff of the Southbury Public Library
Table of Contents
- Passport to CT Libraries
- Adults
- Children and Teens
- The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
- April Gloria Cachion Gallery Exhibit: David Zinni
PASSPORT TO CT LIBRARIES: APRIL 1-30
Passport to Connecticut Libraries is a program sponsored by the Connecticut Library Association taking place every other year for the month of April. To begin, visit the Southbury Public Library to pick up your Passport, list of participating libraries*, contest rules, and your first stamp. Then, visit any participating library within the state between April 1 - April 30 to have your passport stamped by a library employee and receive a token gift**! To be eligible to win, you must visit at least five (5) participating libraries. Participate in one of two age groups: Adult (18 and up) or Child (under 18). Each age group will have three (3) Visa gift card winners: two (2) random drawings (one 25+ libraries visited and one 5+ libraries visited) and one (1) "Top Traveler" for the person who visited the most participating libraries. Turn in your finished Passport to any participating library by Monday, May 11, 2026. The state-wide drawing will be held by Friday, June 12, 2026. Good luck, and have fun!
*Not all libraries in the state are participating. **Not all participating libraries are giving gifts.
Mini Monthly Reading Challenge
April 1-30: Library Love
Mini Monthly Reading Challenge: Library Love (Grades K-12 & Adults)
April 1-30, Online on Beanstack and On Paper
Continuing this month: we have a Mini Monthly Reading Challenge for adults! Read for 5 hours during the month of April to get a SurPRIZE and bragging rights! Pick up a paper Tracking Bookmark from the Reference Desk or track your time on Beanstack. This challenge is also open to Grades K-12; children and teens would pick up their bookmarks from the Second Floor Circulation Desk.
If five hours is too easy, try making it a specific type of reading, such as a new genre or listening to an audiobook during a walk (or while you tackle the Spring cleaning).
Adult Events
Information and Registration: Reference Department at 203-262-0626
All programs require registration unless otherwise noted. The majority of programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget. All virtual adult programs require registration; registrants will receive an email with the Zoom links the morning of the program.
Photography Workshop
Tuesday, April 7 & 21, 11:00-12:00am, Brown Room, Registration Required
Join us to explore the art of photography with our volunteer Sophia. Learn about the basics of photography and practice taking photographs. This is an interactive program that is beginner friendly. Bring your own camera, or use your phone with a camera. To register, click here.
Save a Life Day
Wednesday, April 8, 1:00-3:00pm, Brown Room, No Registration Required
Housatonic Valley Health District with the Southbury Public Library will be hosting a Free Naloxone Training and Handout! Naloxone, or Narcan, is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It is the first line of defense when dealing with an overdose. Narcan should be given to any person who shows signs of an opioid overdose or when an overdose is suspected. It will not harm the recipient even if they are not overdosing. Narcan is usually given as a nasal spray; it is administered by spraying the contents into one nostril while the person lays on their back. To learn more about Narcan or to pick up a rescue kit stop by our table in the Southbury Public Library on April 8th anytime in between 12 and 3pm. No registration is required. To learn more, click here.
Violin & Piano Classical Music Concert: Alyce Cognetta Bertz & Meg Cognetta Heaton
Wednesday, April 8, 7:00-8:00pm, Fireplace Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us by the fireplace for the return of this talented duo. Alyce and Meg will be performing a program of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, John Williams and Fritz Kreisler. Alyce Cognetta Bertz is the Concertmaster of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra. She studied violin with Syoko Aki of the Yale School of Music and with Charles Tregor of the Hartt School of Music. Pianist Meg Cognetta Heaton is active in the Finger Lakes region of New York, accompanying choral groups, Suzuki classes and soloists. To register, click here
Brief Flame: The Short Passionate Life of John Keats
Thursday, April 9, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom and Streamed to the Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Join us as we explore the life of John Keats, including his poignant love for Fanny Brawne. Using Keats' six great odes--all written in 1819--as stepping-stones, Dr. Bill Thierfelder will deliver a lecture on how they reveal the brief life of one of literature’s most brilliant poets, thinkers, and philosophers. Register to watch over Zoom here and register to watch in the Kingsley Room here.
Author Talk: Tom Drennan
Saturday, April 11, 1-2:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Join us for an author talk by Tom Drennen for his book "Guardian Guerrillas: As Told by Frank James" — a fictionalized account of Frank James, brother of Jesse James. Frank James was a bushwhacker in Quantrill's Partisan Rangers during the Civil War. Tom Drennen is a long-time student of the American Civil War, particularly the guerrilla warfare in his home state of Missouri. After retiring from a successful career as an engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft, he turned his attention to researching what forces drove young men in the 1860s to become Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers. He is a founding member of the Shoreline Civil War Discussion Group in Connecticut. To register, click here.
Arts & Crafts Club
Tuesday, April 14 & 28, 1-2:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Required.
Join us at the Southbury Public Library for our Arts & Crafts Club. All crafts, skill levels and ages welcome. Bring your own projects and have a space to work and chat. To register, click here.
Introduction to Journal Writing Workshop
Tuesday, April 14, 6-8:00pm, Brown Room, Registration Required
Want to bring more mindfulness and intention into your life? Join us for a fun and welcoming introduction to journal writing! Whether you're new to journaling or looking for fresh inspiration, this workshop will guide you through simple and meaningful ways to reflect, grow, and reconnect with your purpose. It’s the perfect way to start your journaling journey and discover how it can spark self-discovery and positive change. Through this workshop, you will learn about the therapeutic benefits of journaling; receive thought-provoking writing prompts to inspire your journal entries; learn and practice a variety of journaling techniques; and leave with the resources & confidence to create a meaningful journaling practice of your own! Please bring your favorite journal or notebook along with a pen. To register, click here.
Joan Rivers: "Can We Talk?"
Friday, April 17, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom and Streamed to the Kingsley Room, Registration Required.
This Brooklyn native defied the odds to become one of the first successful stand-up comics. What inspired her dazzling career, and how did she rise above the tragedies of her private life? Listen as John Kenrick shares the story of this American comedian, actress, writer, producer and television host. Entertainment historian John Kenrick has worked in the theatre at every level from amateur to Broadway, eventually serving as personal assistant to six Tony Award winning producers, including the team behind the original production of Rent. He has taught musical theatre history courses at New York University’s Steinhardt School, The New School University, and Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. Register to watch over Zoom here and register to watch in the Kingsley Room here.
Finding Untold Stories: Uncovering Southbury's Revolutionary War Experience
Saturday, April 18, 1-2:30pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
How does a person’s life end up as just one line in a history book — and how can we find the story behind that line? In this program, Melinda Elliott will talk about how snippets found in old records led to rich stories about Southbury during the Revolutionary War. She’ll talk about how people responded to the conflict and what their choices reveal about daily life at the time. You will hear some of the stories she’s uncovered and leave with practical ideas for spotting “untold stories” in your own family or local history research. Melinda K. Elliott is the president of the Southbury Historical Society and the chairman of Bullet Hill School--A Living Museum. She loves doing research and sharing her latest discoveries with anyone who will listen. Melinda is the author of three published books, Connecticut Schoolhouses Through Time, Southbury Through Time: Remnants of Our Past and No Swastikas in Southbury. Her personal motto during America's 250th year is "Telling Untold Stories." Melinda and her husband Ray have three children, all living nearby, and eight grandchildren to spoil. To register, click here.
America 250, A Local Artist's Vision of History
Thursday, April 23, 7-8:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Required
Don Troiani, Southbury resident and nationally recognized realist painter, joins us to celebrate America’s 250th with a special presentation on pivotal moments in U.S. history and the artistry that brings them to life. This program is sponsored by Southbury Arts and Culture Alliance. Please register at SACA's website, here
Plan with Me: Adult Planner Meet-Up
Friday, April 24, 2-3pm, Brown Room, Registration Required
This monthly meet-up is all about socializing, having a creative outlet, and getting your plans in order. Come decorate and fill out your planners and calendars for the month ahead, or work on any other planning activity you'd like. Bring your own markers, washi tape and stickers, or use some of the supplies we will have on hand. A limited supply of free 12-month planners will be available for those who need them! To register, click here.
From Tiffany to Chihuly: Masters of Glass Art
Friday, April 24, 2-3:30pm, Online via Zoom and Streamed to the Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Discover the luminous world of glass art, where molten sand transforms into breathtaking works that capture and refract light in ways that seem to defy the very nature of solid matter. From Louis Comfort Tiffany's jewel-toned stained glass windows that turned churches into cathedrals of color, to Dale Chihuly's explosive blown glass sculptures that bring the ocean's mysteries to museum galleries, to Dan Dailey's whimsical figurative pieces that blend fine art with storytelling magic. This program led by scholar Jane Oneail illuminates how fire, breath, and imagination combine to create some of the most spectacular and ethereal art forms known to humanity. Register to watch over Zoom here and register to watch in the Kingsley Room here.
Marc Berger Live in Concert
Saturday, April 25, 1-2:30pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Join us for Marc Berger and his unique musical interpretation of the American West. Listen and watch as Marc weaves memorable stories into his musical sets of his adventures as an "easterner" in the mountain and desert West, along with experiences that influenced the writing of his songs. There will be country folk songs, a touch of bluegrass, and Americana in his performance. Marc is a nationally touring artist based out of central NY. He has performed at Austin’s South X Southwest Music Festival and the Kerrville Folk Festival, and opened shows for Bob Dylan and other national acts. His current release, RIDE (a collection of songs all having to do with the romance of the American West), has received national airplay and critical acclaim and Starbucks has licensed the album for worldwide in-store airplay. To register, click here.
A Conversation About Affordable Housing
Sunday, April 26, 1-4:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Join us to learn more about everything you always wanted to know about affordable homes (AH). The panel of seasoned experts from all over Connecticut, after brief introductions, will take questions from the attendees. This will afford people in town who are curious, dubious, or highly interested in AH the chance to get their concerns and questions addressed. Assorted pastries will sweeten the Q&A. This program is sponsored by the Southbury Affordable Housing Alliance. To register, click here.
Adult Coloring Club
Tuesday, April 27, 2-3:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Required
Join us for a relaxing hour of therapeutic coloring. Materials will be provided, but participants are welcome to bring their own supplies as well. Registration is requested, not required. Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates! To register, click here. To register, click here.
Wednesday & Evening at the Movies
Superman (2025) PG-13
Wednesday, April 8, 1-3:15pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned. Register here.
Eleanor the Great (2025) PG-13
Wednesday, April 15, 1-3:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
After a devastating loss, witty and proudly troublesome Eleanor Morgenstein, 94, tells a tale that takes on its own dangerous life. Register here.
Song Sung Blue (2025) PG-13
Wednesday, April 22, 1-3:15pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Requested
Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together. Register here.
Hamnet (2025) PG-13
Wednesday, April 29, 1-3:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Requested
In late 16th-century England, Agnes, a healer sensitive to the world around her, builds a home with William, a local tutor and aspiring playwright. As their lives fracture, they are tested by distance, silence, and grief. Register here.
Evening at the Movies
Fackham Hall (2025) R
Thursday, April 9, 6-8:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
A new porter forms an odd bond with the youngest daughter of a well-known UK family. As the Davenport family, headed by Lord and Lady Davenport, deals with the epic disaster of the wedding of their eldest daughter to her caddish cousin. Register here.
A Big Beautiful Journey (2025) R
Thursday, April 23, 6-8:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required
Two strangers who meet at a mutual friend's wedding have the chance to relive important moments from their pasts, illuminating the path that led them to the present and gaining the opportunity to change their futures. Register here.
Adult Book Clubs
The Southbury Public Library offers three book clubs for adults: Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club, Nonfiction Book Club, and Mystery Book Club. Registration is requested, not required. Join us for a discussion about this month’s books! Please sign up so we know how many people to expect and to receive event updates!
Mystery Book Club
Monday, April 13, 3-4pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths. To register, click here.
Nonfiction Book Club
Wednesday, April 8, 10-11am, Brown Room, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing The New York Game: Baseball and the Rise of a New City by Kevin Baker. To register, click here.
Tuesday Night Fiction Book Club
Tuesday, April 28, 6:30-7:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Requested
This month we'll be discussing Strangers in Time by David Baldacci. To register, click here.
Children and Teen Events
Information and Registration: Children/Teen Department at 203-262-0626
See below for information about our upcoming Children's and Teen Programming! All of our Children's and Teen Programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. Library programs are not funded by the town fiscal budget. For children's events requiring sign up, registration begins three weeks before the event. Teen events are able to registered for as soon as they are visible on the web calendar.
Children and Teen Reading Challenges
Mini Monthly Reading Challenge: Library Love (Grades K-12 & Adults)
April 1-30, Online on Beanstack and On Paper
Continuing this month: you can use a paper tracking bookmark instead of Beanstack AND adults can join! Read for 5 hours during the month of April; track your time spent reading on Beanstack or pick up a Tracking Bookmark from the Second Floor Circulation Desk. Adults can participate on Beanstack or pick up an Adult Mini Monthly Reading Challenge Bookmark from the Reference Desk.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten (Birth to Entering Kindergarten)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read a book (any book!) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track on Beanstack. Repeats count! If you read 1 book a day for 3 years, that’s 1,095 books! 10 books a week for 2 years is 1,040 books, and 3 books a day in one year is 1,095 books. Every book you read you get one sticker, and if you finish you can get a certificate, small prize, and your picture on our wall of fame if you’d like! Visit Beanstack to get started online.
100 Books Before Graduation (Grades 9-12)
Ongoing, Online on Beanstack
Read 100 books before High School Graduation! 100 books may seem like a lot (and it is), but it works out to about 1 book every 2 weeks. When you sign up, get a special tracking bookmark to fill out as you read. Make it to half way and get a $5 Gift Card to Dunkin' or The Bakery. Read 100 books and get a special throw blanket! Every 10 books you read, pick out something from the prize box (pins, stickers, animal sticky notes, and more!). Visit Beanstack to find out more and get started!
Children's Storytimes
Drop-In Storytime (All Ages)
Monday, April 6, 13, 20, 27, 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required
Join Jen for an all-ages storytime! We'll share books, rhymes, and songs, and a small craft will be available to make with us or take home. Find out more on our website here.
Babies & Books (Ages 6-24 months)
Tuesday, April 7, 14, 21, 28, 10:30-11:30am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Babies & Books is a six-week series lapsit storytime for children 6 to 24 months and their parents/caregivers. Listen to short stories and songs. Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Children
Tiny Food Explorers (Ages 2-5)
Wednesday, April 1 , 11am-12pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Tiny Food Explorers for some fun with food! Come and explore new flavors and textures while playing games all about food and MyPlate! You’ll make a hands-on healthy snack that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy! Find out more and register on our website here.
Tunes & Tales (Recommended for Ages 5 & Under)
Thursday, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required
Join Jen for a morning filled with music and stories! Children will sing, dance, and explore musical instruments. Find out more on our website here.
Take or Make Craft (All Ages)
Saturday, April 4, 11, 18, 25, Youth Services Department, While Supplies Last, No Registration Required
Stop by the Youth Services Department on Saturdays this month to make a thematic paper craft. Make it here or bring it home. Crayons and glue available in the library. Appropriate for all ages. Young children may need assistance. Find out more on our website here.
Poppi's Planet (Ages 0-5)
Saturday, April 4, 11:00am-12:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Get transported to Poppi’s Planet! An interactive performance lesson with music, dance and puppetry! Get ready to celebrate what it means to be our unique selves! A social emotional performance art adventure! Big feelings, emotions and lessons to be resilient! Leave with joyful, mindful hearts! Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Giant Games Afternoon (All Ages)
Monday, April 13, 12:30-2pm, Kingsley Room, No Registration Required
Join us for an afternoon of Giant Games! Drop in between 12:30-2pm to enjoy a variety of traditional, larger-than-life, board games. This event is perfect for families or a group of friends; if a team is not made of middle schoolers and above, an adult must be present. Find out more and register on our website here.
Zoom - Let's Draw Impossible Animals! With cartoonist Rick Stromoski (Ages 7-11)
Monday, April 13, 4-5:00pm, Online via Zoom, Registration Required
Award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski will show you how to draw amazing animals! Find out more and register on our website here.
Food Explorers Baking: Berry Monkey Bread & Lemon Sugar Cookie Trifles (Grades 2-5)
Thursday, April 16, 10:00am-12:00pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Food Explorers for a hands-on baking class making two brand new recipes! You’ll be making Berry Monkey Breads by making your own dough and and mixing with berries to create this sticky pull apart dessert. You’ll whip up Lemon Sugar Cookie Trifles by layering up homemade cookies, lemon flavored pudding and homemade whipped cream.These recipes are nut free but do contain eggs, dairy and gluten. Find out more and register on our website here.
Yoga for Kids (Ages 6-10)
Saturday, April 18, 10:30am-11:30am, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
CT Yoga instructor Nick Switz, certified with five years of experience and training from Radiant Child Yoga, guides children through a playful class. The class is guided throughout with yoga-based games and captivating stories, fostering creativity, cooperation, and body awareness. The class ends with a calming guided story, offering a moment of reflection. Find out more and register on our website here.
LEGO Club (Grades K-5)
Tuesday, April 21, 4:30-5:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for an afternoon of LEGO fun! We’ll provide the LEGO bricks, and you bring the creativity! You can free build, or work off of instructions. Find out more and register on our website here.
Yoga for Kids (Ages 2-5)
Friday, April 24, 10:30-11:15am, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
CT Yoga instructor Nick Switz, certified with five years of experience and training from Radiant Child Yoga, guides children through a playful class. The class is guided throughout with yoga-based games and captivating stories, fostering creativity, cooperation, and body awareness. The class ends with a calming guided story, offering a moment of reflection. Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, April 24, 6:30-8pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Makerspace Morning (Ages 5-12)
Saturday, April 25, 10-11:30am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us to explore, think, and create in our mobile makerspace! Choose from a wide range of materials to create something new and unique, or complete a craft project using provided instructions. Find out more and register on our website here.
Read with SPG: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover (Ages 1-5)
Wednesday, April 29, 10:30-11:30am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Enjoy an interactive read-along led by a Speech Language Pathologist! Using this fun thematic book, the SLP will demonstrate how shared reading builds vocabulary, expands language, and encourages participation - all while having fun! Find out more and register on our website here.
Special Events for Teens
Teen Crochet Club (Grades 6-12)
Tuesday, April 7, 21, 6:30-7:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for our crochet (and knitting) club, open to both new and experienced crafters alike. If you’re already working on a project, bring it with you. If you’re new to knitting and crocheting, get started with us! We will have basic knitting and crocheting supplies available. Attend one or both meetings. Find out more and register on our website here.
Blackout Poetry (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, April 9, 6-7pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
April is National Poetry Month. Join us to create blackout poetry, a fun and easy way to make poetry and art while upcycling old book pages. With blackout poetry, you take an already existing page of text and cross out all the words you don’t want to keep in your poem. You can cross them out with straight lines, squiggles, or anything you like to create a unique mix between poetry and art. All supplies provided. Find out more and register on our website here.
Food Explorers: Chocolate Monkey Bread & Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, April 16, 1-3pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join Food Explorers for a hands-on baking class! You’ll be making your own dough to create a delicious Chocolate Monkey Bread, followed by a from scratch Strawberry Shortcake Parfait full of homemade cake, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. These recipes are vegetarian and nut free but do contain eggs, dairy, and gluten. Find out more and register on our website here.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages)
Friday, April 24, 6:30-8pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas! Find out more and register on our website here.
Cute Animals Hangout (Grades 6-12)
Thursday, April 30, 6-7pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited
Come hang out with a variety of cute animals, both furry and scaly! Meet, interact with, feed snacks to, and pet a variety of animal friends including bunnies, ferrets, sugar gliders, snakes, a bearded dragon, and more. Find out more and register on our website here.
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library sponsor almost all of our fun virtual and in-person programs found on the calendar page of our website, our Mini Monthly Reading Challenges, and most of our Summer Reading Program Prizes! Find out more about the Friends here!
Friends Lobby Book Sale
Extended through May, Open During Library Hours, Lobby
The Friends of the Southbury Public Library's Lobby Book Sale continues through May! Located in our lobby, this sale features a wide selection of books for all ages, including Children’s, Cooking, Boutique, History, Biography, Fiction, Nonfiction, Special Interest and so much more. The sale is being refreshed regularly as space allows, so new items are being added all the time. Open during library hours, there's something for everyone at the Friends Lobby Book Sale!
Friends Donation Center
Located in the Southbury Plaza between Catalyst Gym and The Paper Store
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-11:30am; Wednesdays from 5-7pm
Because we do not have the same basement storage access, please continue to bring any book donations to the Friends Donation Center in the Southbury Plaza rather than the library. The Friends Donation Center is located between the Catalyst Gym and the Paper Store and is generously donated by Gatto Development Corporation. The Donation Center is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am to 11:30am and Wednesdays from 5-7pm.
Items accepted include gently-used hardcover, softcover, and paperback books in all genres, both fiction and nonfiction, for adults, teens, and children. The Friends also accept DVDs, music CDs, vinyl records, audiobooks on CD, jigsaw puzzles, and games. Donation receipts for tax purposes are available. These donations will be used in future book sales to raise funds for library programs and other services to benefit the community.
For more information about the Friends of the Southbury Public Library, click here.
March Gloria Cachion Gallery Exhibit: David Zinni
The Gloria Cachion Gallery at the Southbury Public Library will showcase the art of David Zinni from Thursday, April 2, 2026 through Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
David is a Rhode Island native who settled in central Connecticut in 1980 after receiving a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Always interested in the visual arts, he was finally able to turn his focus to painting after retirement in 2019 from a 38 year career in Engineering. A longtime resident of Southbury, Dave has enjoyed the opportunity to hike the many parks, preserves and land trust properties the Bury towns of Southbury, Woodbury, and Middlebury have to offer.
Using Dave’s own photography as reference, he has been able to capture the beauty of local landscapes and wildlife through oil and acrylic painting. No stranger to the Rhode Island shore, the coastal towns and Block Island are also a favorite for compositions. Coming from a background as a mechanical engineer, Zinni applies a technical eye to his art, resulting in paintings with high levels of realism, fine detail and precision. A self-taught painter, he received some studio training from local Connecticut artists to refine his technique.
This exhibition features a diverse range of landscapes, seascapes, and wildlife captured during the artist’s excursions through Southbury, Woodbury, Middlebury and around New England. It is his hope that visitors will recognize some of the scenery and make a connection with his art. His work has previously been featured by the Southbury Arts & Culture Collaborative exhibited solo at the Southbury, Woodbury, and Whitmore Public Libraries and shared exhibits sponsored by AAW of Woodbury, SCAN of Newtown, and Flanders of Woodbury. His paintings have been featured across several local charity auctions associated with Seymour Pink, Are You Dense and Providence Make A Wish organization events.
The full exhibit will be open during regular library hours which are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:30am to 5:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30am to 9:00pm, Saturdays 9:30am to 4:00pm and Sundays 12:00pm to 5:00pm. Visit our online gallery for a sample of photos from the exhibit.