Concert on the Lawn: Matt York!

Tuesday, August 12th from 6-7:30 PM. Bring your chair or blanket and enjoy some music! The concert will be canceled in the case of rain (we will reschedule if possible).

Longtime New England musician/author Matt York will return to perform the songs of classic country and honky-tonk artists and tell stories of their careers. Starting with artists like Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and many more, York will discuss the origins of Western Swing music and the heroes of the Texas and Nashville honky-tonks. York has twice been nominated for the Boston Music Award for Best Country Artist and he recently released his second book, The Wisdom of Willie Nelson. Check out Matt’s website for more information about him and his music!

Author Peter Abrahams, AKA Spencer Quinn

We are excited to welcome back Cape resident Peter Abrahams, also known as Spencer Quinn, on Monday, 8/4 at 4 pm for a reading, talk, and book signing for his newest book, Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue!  The book will be available for purchase and signing from Eight Cousins Books after the author talk and reading. Please register for the event by clicking here

Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue is the second novel in his Mrs. Plansky series, although it can stand alone, continuing the irresistible and unforgettable Mrs. Plansky, in a story perfect for mystery readers. It is perfect for “fans of Only Murders in the Building, Richard Osman’s “Thursday Murder Club” series, and senior detectives” (Library Journal).

Peter Abrahams is the Edgar-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Bowser and Birdie series for middle-grade readers. He lives on the Cape with his wife Diana and their two dogs. Read more about Peter and his books by clicking here.

Come and join us!    Please register below or visit/call the reference desk at 508-457-2555 x7.  More about the book:

“Mrs. Plansky is fresh off of winning a thrilling senior tennis championship with her doubles partner, Kev Dinardo, and is gearing up to celebrate with him on his yacht. That is, until the yacht is destroyed in a fire. Kev claims the fire was caused by a lightning strike, pure bad luck, but there’s one small problem—Mrs. Plansky didn’t see any lightning.

Already certain there’s more going on than she’s being told, Mrs. Plansky’s curiosity turns to concern when Kev goes missing. Her suspicion gets the better of her and leads her to break into his house, only to find it ransacked.

But Kev isn’t the only person Mrs. Plansky has to worry about. A conversation with her dad reveals that not long ago, he’d introduced Kev to Jack, Mrs. Plansky’s wayward tennis pro son. And now, her dad—distracted by arrangements for his upcoming wedding—either can’t remember or has no interest in divulging any details.

Worse? Now Jack has gone missing, too. (from the publisher)”

Lawn Concert: the George Gritzbach band!

We are excited to welcome back Falmouth’s longtime favorite roots and blues legend, George Gritzbach and his band for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Tuesday evening, July 22nd from 6-8, weather permitting (rain date will be Tuesday, July 29th). Bring your chair or blanket!

George Gritzback is known for his innovative original songs. The Boston Globe called him a “sizzling hot, no-holds barred electric bluesman” and “one of the finest guitar players in America.”  The Washington Post referred to him as an “exceptional songwriter” and described a recent CD “as good and surprising as he is in person, with wonderful original material and knockout slide guitar work.” Gritzbach has released a new album of original songs titled Full Circle. Full Circle is his sixth studio release and showcases his first-rate songwriting talents coupled with a range of roots-blues musical styles he describes as roots rhythm & blues. Gritzbach’s expressive vocal style infuses the ten songs on the album with grit and honesty.

Gritzbach is supported throughout, and on tour, by a seasoned rhythm section featuring Scott Lariviere on bass, Christian McCarthy on drums, Johnny Menezes on keyboards with Peter Murray on saxophone. Funky horn lines add flavor, spice and texture throughout the album. The album also features guest appearances by critically acclaimed harmonica great Jerry Portnoy. Portnoy was a fixture in the Muddy Waters Band and toured with Eric Clapton.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert.

Wednesday Evening Movies Under the Stars returns in July!

BYO blankets and chairs and join us on the library lawn to enjoy some outdoor family fun with Movies Under the Stars! The 2025 movie season will begin on Wednesday, July 16th!  The first movie will start at 6 pm, and the second at approximately 8 pm.  These movies are weather dependent and are free to the public.  No registration is required. Most movies are great for all ages-some might have a PG-13 rating!

Read below to find out the Wednesday night movie dates, themes, and selected movies!

On July 16th 
6:00 PM Barbie (rated PG13)
Then around 8:00 pm Grease (rated PG)
 
On July 23rd
6:00 PM October Sky (rated PG)
Then around 8:00 On the Basis of Sex (rated PG-13)
 
On July 30th
At 6:00 PM How to Train your Dragon (rated PG) 
Then around 8:00 Wonka (rated PG)
 
On August 6th 
At 6:00 PM Night at the Museum (rated PG)
Then around 8:00 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (rated PG-13) 
 
And then to finish the 2025 Movies Under the Stars season  
On August 13th 
at 6:00 PM The Iron Giant (rated PG)
Then around 8:00 Wicked (rated PG)

Lawn Concert with the All Worn-Out Jug Band

We are excited to welcome back The All-Wornout Jug Band for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Tuesday, July 8th  from 6 – 7:30 PM. Bring your chair or blanket! The concert will be canceled in the case of rain; we will make a decision by mid-afternoon, so feel free to call and check.

The All Wornout Jug Band is a Cape-based band that has been performing locally and regionally for the last 24 years.  Learn more about them here! The group has always been comprised of multi-instrumentalists, who give each song its own special treatment; their repertoire includes classic jug band tunes, mixed in with folk, country, gospel and blues. This year, the band is including folk protest songs, harkening back to the power of music as a part of political movements.

The band includes Gregory Baird: Ukulele, banjo, washboard, slide whistle, sound engineer, composer, Kevin Howard: Guitar, mandolin, kazoo, Mary Loebig: Stand-up bass, Fred Monthei: Guitar and mandolin and Reverend Doctor Edmund Robinson: Banjo, concertina, fiddle, harmonica, jug

AWOJB is most of all a fun group, who enjoy performing in the folk tradition.

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert.

Making Sense of our Current Healthcare System, with Neighborhood Falmouth

Neighborhood Falmouth and the Falmouth Public Library are jointly offering this program on Wednesday, June 25 at 1:30 pm. This month, Dr. Mike Bihari will discuss dealing with our current healthcare system, including access to primary care (where have all the doctors gone?), health insurance issues, and how well your healthcare provider helps you find and understand the health information and services you need. If you would like to attend this event, please register by clicking here, or call the library at 508-457-2555 x 7.

Dr. Bihari is a retired pediatrician, health educator and healthcare consultant. Since moving to Falmouth in 2001, he has been actively involved in the community. As a volunteer his activities included: working with families in a shelter for the homeless; conducting cooking classes and packing food for clients at the Falmouth Service Center; four years on the Falmouth Education Foundation Board of Directors; two years mentoring a student in VIPS; and, Chair of the Steering Committee of the Falmouth Prevention Partnership — a six-year commitment to help decrease drug and alcohol use among local teens, including writing more than 125 articles for his Risky Business column in the Falmouth Enterprise. Most notably, Mike spent ten years (four as President) on the board of the Community Health Center. Recently, he has served on the Board of Neighborhood Falmouth and in 2023, he was selected by the town to serve on the Falmouth Human Services Committee, which he currently co-chairs.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a community-based non-profit membership organization whose mission is to help seniors live independently, safely, and comfortably at home for as long as is practical by providing support, information and services. To learn more about Neighborhood Falmouth visit their website here. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a volunteer, call their office at 508-927-1678.

Live Music on the Lawn with J. Alexis Bautista

Our first lawn concert of the summer season!

We are excited to welcome back J. Alexis Bautista for a live, outdoor performance on the lawn on Wednesday evening, June 18th, from 6-7:30, weather permitting. Bring your chair or blanket! The concert will be canceled in the event of rain, and we will do our best to reschedule.

J. Alexis Bautista is a songwriter and music educator based on Cape Cod. They have been entertaining local audiences for the past ten years with an eclectic mix of original songs, deep cuts, and well known favorites. With a gritty, soulful voice and fiery guitar stylings, Alexis is sure to entertain any crowd. They will also be performing at Arts Alive on Saturday, June 14th!

 

We thank the Board of Library Trustees for sponsoring this concert!

Executive Order and Effects on Libraries

Starting on July 1, 2025, some online library services will be reduced, statewide. On March 14, 2025 President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries. Through IMLS’ Grants to States Program, for FY2025 the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) was allocated $3.6 million to support statewide library services and grants to local libraries. In the weeks that followed the executive order, IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave and in the President’s FY2026 budget, IMLS is eliminated (pg. 39 under Small Agency Eliminations).

At the annual Massachusetts Library Association conference on May 19th, MBLC Director Maureen Amyot addressed the impact of ongoing federal uncertainty caused by the executive order and spoke about the MBLC’s efforts to preserve as many federally funded statewide services as possible. Director Amyot announced the FY2026 plan for statewide research databases, the statewide eBook program, and the Commonwealth Catalog.

Research database offerings will be significantly reduced. However, the MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), which jointly fund databases, will maintain several of the most heavily used.

Support for the statewide Library eBooks and audiobooks (LEA) program will continue. The Libby eBook platform that allows eBooks to be shared across the state will be fully funded from the state budget. Databases that will be discontinued includes Boston Globe Article Archive, Britannica Moderna, 13 Gale databases, HeritageQuest Online, Peterson’s Test/Career Prep, ProQuest Science, and Transparent Language Online. 

Full funding for the Commonwealth Catalog (ComCat) will also continue for FY2026. ComCat gives Massachusetts residents access to millions of items that their own library network doesn’t have.

Maintaining these services comes with the elimination of services that were announced in April and the MBLC anticipates announcing further reductions in the coming weeks.

Everyone can support libraries, feel free to visit any of these urls for more information.

  1. SaveIMLS.org – EveryLibrary’s petition to State Governors and Congress.
  2. Share your stories with Senator Ed Markey – Senator Markey is pushing back against the latest executive orders from the Trump Administration and would like to hear from YOU about how you are being affected.
  3. You can contact your state legislators: FIND MY LEGISLATOR 
  4. You can contact your federal legislators: FIND MY CONGRESS MEMBER

 

Barnstable County Probate and Family Court with Neighborhood Falmouth

Neighborhood Falmouth and the Falmouth Public Library are jointly offering this program on Wednesday, May 28th at 1:30 pm. Click here to register.

A presentation will be given by Anastasia Welsh Perrino, Esq., Barnstable County Probate and Family Court Register of Probate. She will provide general information about topics of interest including wills, estates, guardianships and conservatorships of adults, guardianships of minors and grandparent visitation. She will also explain how planning ahead and having properly drafted advance directives (powers of attorney and health care proxies) and wills can avoid future contested litigation. Some examples of the types of cases that are filed at the Probate and Family Court will be discussed. This will be an interactive presentation and questions will be welcome.

Register Perrino is the Barnstable County Register of Probate. She was first elected to the position in 2008. In her role as Register of Probate at the Barnstable County Probate and Family Court, she is a Magistrate, and she oversees the office at the court where legal paperwork is filed for all probate and family court matters in Barnstable County. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School.

Neighborhood Falmouth is a community-based non-profit membership organization whose mission is to help seniors live independently, safely, and comfortably at home for as long as is practical by providing support, information and services. To learn more about Neighborhood Falmouth visit their website at neighbhorhoodfalmouth.org. If you have any questions or are interested in becoming a volunteer, call their office at 508-927-1678.

“Lightsabers at the Library” – A Star Wars Party at the East Falmouth Library

Saturday, May 3 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

Grab your lightsaber and channel your inner Jedi (or Sith!) for an epic Star Wars-themed party! Come dressed as your favorite character—from iconic heroes to legendary villains—and explore the galaxy through Jedi Training Stations, out-of-this-world snacks, and cosmic challenges. The Force is strong with this one… especially if you snag the Best Costume Prize!