We have a new calendar! We’re experimenting with including free cultural and educational events at other local and regional libraries, museums, and non-profits. We hope a compilation of these great events will be a valuable resource for our community. Click on the categories above the calendar to limit the results by drive time from the Bolton Free Library. Be sure to check the hosting organization’s website for schedule changes and cancellations. Note that some of the events at and within 10 minutes of our library are not free; these are denoted with a “($)” and costs are included in those descriptions.

Check back often for updates and let us know what you think!

November 2, 2025


November 2, 2025

New York State Museum

Join us for a special program with award-winning local author Nancy Castaldo, as she shares stories from her inspiring children’s book Riverkeeper: Protecting an American River and Whales in the City. Through these tales of environmental activism on the Hudson River and in New York Harbor, Nancy will inspire young readers and their families to protect the waters and wildlife closest to home.

After storytime, meet NYSM Curator of Ichthyology Dr. Jeremy Wright, who will be on hand to answer your questions about fish, rivers, and conservation. Then, get creative with a hands-on craft inspired by our local waterways.

This uplifting program celebrates the power of community action, the beauty of nature, and the small steps we can all take to protect our planet — one river at a time.


November 2, 2025

New York State Museum

Join acclaimed historian and bestselling author Russell Shorto for a compelling lecture on his new book, Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America. In this thrilling and deeply researched narrative, Shorto explores the dramatic events of 1664, when England set its sights on the Dutch-controlled city of New Amsterdam. What unfolded was not only a military conquest, but a complex negotiation between empires and cultures that would give birth to the city we now know as New York. With his blend of storytelling and scholarship, Russell Shorto brings to life the paradox at the heart of New York and America’s origin story as a place of promise built on displacement, resilience, and reinvention.

This program is presented in collaboration with the New York State Museum, the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, and donations in Stefan Bielinski’s honor.

Stefan Bielinski (1946–2024) was a historian at the New York State Museum for 43 years, devoting his life’s work to the Colonial Albany Social History Project.


November 2, 2025

Registration required: Crandall Public Library

So, you can't make perfect art? That's okay, make "ish" art! We will read Ish by Peter H. Reynolds, then make our own art based on the book. This program is for preschool artists, ages 3-5.