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!

Events in October 2025

  • October 11, 2025 (2 events)


    October 11, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Renowned blacksmith Jymm Hoffman will demonstrate 18th century techniques at the forge. Living Historian Anne Clothier will share the stories of Women in Healing from the time of the Battles of Saratoga. Living Historian Sara Evenson will discuss and demonstrate 18th century food. The Saratoga County 250th Commission will be there with their tent full of fun activities for the whole family! And you can visit General Philip Schuyler’s home.


    October 11, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Tour Stops 2, 3, & 6

    More soldiers return to Saratoga! The park will host three small encampments on the original 1777 Revolutionary War battlegrounds.

    At Benedict Arnold's headquarters (tour road stop 2), Continental soldiers from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont will encamp within the American defenses, ready to defend against any British invasion.

    At Bemus Heights (tour road stop 3), New York's Continental artillery corps will ensure that no Redcoats pass the high bluffs and march on to conquer Albany.

    At Freeman's Farm (tour road stop 6), British soldiers of His Majesty's 24th Regiment will be on hand to restore legitimate government to the rebellious American colonies.

    All camps are free to visit and open to the public during the dates and times listed above. Soldiers will fire cannons and muskets throughout the event and perform other martial activities, while they and the camp's followers will cook food and sew clothing throughout the event. Make sure to ask the reenactors lots of questions!

  • October 12, 2025 (2 events)


    October 12, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Tour Stops 2, 3, & 6

    More soldiers return to Saratoga! The park will host three small encampments on the original 1777 Revolutionary War battlegrounds.

    At Benedict Arnold's headquarters (tour road stop 2), Continental soldiers from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont will encamp within the American defenses, ready to defend against any British invasion.

    At Bemus Heights (tour road stop 3), New York's Continental artillery corps will ensure that no Redcoats pass the high bluffs and march on to conquer Albany.

    At Freeman's Farm (tour road stop 6), British soldiers of His Majesty's 24th Regiment will be on hand to restore legitimate government to the rebellious American colonies.

    All camps are free to visit and open to the public during the dates and times listed above. Soldiers will fire cannons and muskets throughout the event and perform other martial activities, while they and the camp's followers will cook food and sew clothing throughout the event. Make sure to ask the reenactors lots of questions!


    October 12, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Historian, blogger and reenactor Sherman Lohnes will present a brief history of the comings and goings of Brigadier General James Brickett and his Massachusetts militia troops during the siege of Saratoga in October 1777.

  • October 14, 2025 (4 events)


    October 14, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Discover the Siege of Saratoga. Following their defeat in the Battle of Bemus Heights, Burgoyne’s army struggled to retreat. They made it this far before being surrounded by superior American forces, beginning the short but unpleasant siege. Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer will lead a walking tour from the Saratoga Monument through part of Burgoyne’s camp.


    October 14, 2025

    Slate Valley Museum

    Take a walk and learn about the history of the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail. The trail travels the railbed of the former Delaware & Hudson Railroad, known locally as the Slate Picker, which stretched 26 miles through the Slate Valley.

    This program will originate at the access point directly adjacent to the Slate Valley Museum. Park in the museum lot and meet right outside the museum's front entrance!


    October 14, 2025

    Registration required: Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

    This is a hands-on workshop with instruction in rhythmic handclaps (palmas), arm movements (braceo), body posturing (marcaje), and footwork (taconeo) tailored to the participants experience level. The class is supportive and fun, and flamenco technique is woven into a short choreography. By the end of the class the participants will be able to “perform” a simple choreographed dance.

  • October 15, 2025 (1 event)


    October 15, 2025

    Registration required: Saratoga National Historical Park

    Experience the ambiance of an 18th Century house in the evening with a special candlelight tour through the Schuyler House! Entry is by tours only which will be held from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Reservations are required for this special event. Visitors should be aware that the candlelight tours are low light and may make walking through the house challenging for some visitors. Capacity limits will be in effect for safety and protection of visitors and the historic resource.

  • October 16, 2025 (2 events)


    October 16, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Statistics show that approximately 50% of mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates for job opportunities. Find out how you can prepare and hear suggestions for getting the most visibility out of your online application.


    October 16, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Transferable skills are qualities you have already acquired which can be used in a different job. Make it easy for employers to see the connection between your qualities and the skillset needed to do the job and market yourself as the solution to an employer's problem. Learn ways to research the employer's needs then identify and show them that you have these skills.

  • October 17, 2025 (2 events)


    October 17, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    Visit with a park ranger at the Saratoga Surrender Site in Schuylerville, NY to learn more about the surrender of General Burgoyne and his forces.


    October 17, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Beyond Job Searches: Networking is your strategic tool for cultivating lasting relationships, fostering professional growth, and unlocking opportunities. It’s more than finding jobs; it’s a pivotal force propelling higher salaries and career advancement. Networking is the workout regimen your career muscle craves. Join us for an approachable journey to networking.

  • October 18, 2025 (2 events)


    October 18, 2025

    Slate Valley Museum

    Celebrate the end of the harvest and the end of our regular season with a traditional barn dance right in the museum's Dutch style barn!

    Contra Dance Lesson (for all ages) from 2-3pm
    Contra Dance from 3-5pm

    Featuring caller Fern Bradley and live music by traditional celtic band Hudson River Ceili.


    October 18, 2025

    Registration required: Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

    at the Arthur Zankel Music Center, 815 N Broadway, Saratoga Springs

    This evening-length performance is a band-generated theatrical experience, featuring music from Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion’s Grammy-winning album Rectangles and Circumstance, as well as their first album Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part, with an interlude from Shaw’s pop duo Ringdown. Beginning with a lone spotlight on Shaw singing “I’ll Fly Away,” the performance builds as musicians gradually introduce lights and inventive instruments, culminating in an ecstatic full-ensemble experience featuring up-tempo songs like “Sing On” and “To the Sky”—a dazzling blend of DIY design and original music.

    In celebration of the Tang Museum’s 25th anniversary, this presentation of Who Turns Out the Light continues a long-standing artistic partnership between Sō Percussion and the Tang. The performance is co-presented with Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), which joins as a community partner during renovations of the Spa Little Theater—helping maintain strong connections to the region through collaborative programming.

  • October 19, 2025 (3 events)


    October 19, 2025

    Registration required: Hudson Crossing Park

    Join the garden keepers on a seed collection expedition in the park.  Learn how to collect, store, stratify, scarify and winter sow seeds for growing your own native plants.

    • Adults only

    • Group size is limited to 10

    • Registration is required!


    October 19, 2025

    RSVP requested: Adirondack Interpretive Center

    With the guidance of mushroom enthusiast Sandy Bureaus, head out for an afternoon of mushroom hunting along the AIC trails. Whether you are a beginner or seasoned forager these walks will help expand your knowledge into the mysteries of mycology. Walks will be held every third Sunday at 1pm starting in May and continuing through October. Registration is not required but encouraged.


    October 19, 2025

    Saratoga National Historical Park

    When Burgoyne’s army surrendered at Saratoga, the agreement was that they could return to Europe. But Congress intervened, claiming that Burgoyne broke the deal himself by not surrendering all the stuff he was supposed to. Or did he? This program examines how a tiny uniform detail broke our nation's first treaty.

    Park Ranger Eric Schnitzer has called Saratoga National Historical Park home for more than two decades. Eric’s immense knowledge of military history and 18th century material culture, which have made him one of the foremost experts on the Saratoga Campaign, come together perfectly in this talk.

  • October 20, 2025 (1 event)


    October 20, 2025

    Registration required: Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory

    Aileen O'Donoghue—ASC&O Board Member, St. Lawrence University

    On the 8,800 foot peak of Cerro Pachón in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun it’s ten-year mission to observe the southern sky.  The unique, specially designed 3,000 megapixel camera sensor array will conduct a wide-field survey of the universe that will be deeper and wider than all previous surveys combined.  Unlike other telescopes, Rubin’s telescope will not target specific objects, but will survey the sky in a predetermined cadence of observations at different sky positions in a varying pattern of order, duration, and filters.  In this way, it will obtain images applicable to different scientific questions from finding slow-moving asteroids near Earth to characterizing distant galaxies and quasars forming near the beginning of time.  The repetition of observations over ten years will allow astronomers to spot changes in appearance and behavior of objects too slow to be detected by traditional observatories.

  • October 21, 2025 (1 event)


    October 21, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Statistics show that approximately 50% of mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen candidates for job opportunities. Find out how you can prepare and hear suggestions for getting the most visibility out of your online application.
  • October 22, 2025 (3 events)


    October 22, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Beyond Job Searches: Networking is your strategic tool for cultivating lasting relationships, fostering professional growth, and unlocking opportunities. It’s more than finding jobs; it’s a pivotal force propelling higher salaries and career advancement. Networking is the workout regimen your career muscle craves. Join us for an approachable journey to networking.


    October 22, 2025

    Registration required: Caldwell-Lake George Library

    You are invited to be one of the first to hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai about her astonishing memoir, Finding My Way. Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing how she navigated life as someone whose darkest moments threatened to define her narrative—while seeking the freedom to find out who she truly is. Wednesday October 22nd at 7 PM via digital live-stream. Register and ask questions of the author here: https://libraryc.org/lakegeorgelibrary/99211


    October 22, 2025

    Registration required: Crandall Public Library

    You are invited to join us online and be one of the first to hear from Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai about her astonishing memoir, Finding My Way. Malala reintroduces herself to the world, sharing how she navigated life as someone whose darkest moments threatened to define her narrative—while seeking the freedom to find out who she truly is.

    Thrust onto the public stage at fifteen years old after the Taliban’s brutal attack on her life, Malala Yousafzai quickly became an international icon known for bravery and resilience. But away from the cameras and crowds, she spent years struggling to find her place in an unfamiliar world. Finding My Way is a story of friendship and first love, of anxiety and self-discovery, of trying to stay true to yourself when everyone wants to tell you who you are. In it, Malala traces her path from high school loner to reckless college student to a young woman at peace with her past. Through candid, often messy moments like nearly failing exams, getting ghosted, and meeting the love of her life, Malala reminds us that real role models aren’t perfect—they’re human.

    Finding My Way is a vulnerable, surprising memoir that buzzes with authenticity, sharp humor, and tenderness. It is an intimate look at the life of a young woman taking charge of her destiny and is a deeply personal testament to the strength it takes to be unapologetically yourself. Register now for an online conversation you cannot miss!

    Registration is required and a high speed internet connection is recommended. Register for this author talk and check out other online author talks here: https://libraryc.org/crandalllibrary Programs will be recorded and available to view at a later date.

  • October 23, 2025 (2 events)


    October 23, 2025

    Registration required: Saratoga National Historical Park

    On October 7, 1777, the Second Battle of Saratoga began in field of ripening wheat at Stop 5 along today’s Battlefield Tour Road. By the end of the day, the United States had achieved a monumental victory which resulted in the surrender of General Burgoyne’s army 10 days later. However, questions have remained on how the battle unfolded. How exactly were the contending forces arrayed? How did the American Army achieve victory on that October day?

    In the fall of 2021, a team of researchers, archaeologists, and military veterans assembled at Saratoga National Historic Park under the auspices of American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) to look for answers to some of these questions. Ben Powers will share how the project played out and what was discovered during this three-week exploration.

    Ben resides in Texas with his wife, K.C., and four children, Arthur, Michaela, Emma, and Jordan. He holds a master’s degree in strategic leadership from American Military University and served 24 years in the United States Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Ben is an author, YouTuber, and President of the Board of Directors of the American Veterans Archaeological Recovery Project (AVAR). He participated in fieldwork in Barber’s Wheatfield on the Saratoga Battlefield in the fall of 2021.

    Support for the Fall Lecture Series is provided by Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Reservations are required due to limited space. Email us (SARA_Reservations@nps.gov) to reserve your seat!

  • October 25, 2025 (1 event)


    October 25, 2025

    Hudson Crossing Park

    Join us for the spookiest night of the year at HCP!

    From 4pm-6pm, carve pumpkins with us at the pavilion before lining the Sensory Trail with everyone's glowing creations. Once the sun goes down, take a stroll down the trail... If you dare!

    Details:
    -$10 per pumpkin if you use one of ours (bring your own at no cost!)
    -At the end of the night, you can take your jack o’lantern home (or leave it as a special snack for our resident wild life)
    -The Sensory Trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible. This event is open to all ages, abilities, and disabilities.

    Come for the carving, stay for the glow, and make some fall memories with us at Hudson Crossing Park!

  • October 28, 2025 (2 events)


    October 28, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Join us for this informal glimpse into potential stumbling blocks to finding a job and some resources and strategies to help you meet your goals. Whether you're facing transportation needs, childcare needs, prior justice system involvement, inexperience, health concerns, or more - we're here to help connect you to resources!

     


    October 28, 2025

    Registration required: Warren County Career Center

    Goals are what take us forward in life. They are the first step to every journey we take. In this workshop we will explain how goal setting works, why goals are important, and take home more helpful resources to get you started. Remember: "if you aim for nothing, you'll hit it every time." Find out how to reach your dreams.

  • October 29, 2025 (2 events)


    October 29, 2025

    Registration required: Caldwell-Lake George Library

    Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (out October 14, 2025) on Wednesday October 29th at 2 PM ET via digital live-stream.

    Register and ask questions of the author here: https://libraryc.org/lakegeorgelibrary/96288


    October 29, 2025

    Registration required: Crandall Public Library

    Coined as the “queen of British historical fiction,” Philippa Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with a tale that is both timely and timeless. We invite you to sit down with us for an intriguing conversation with Gregory about her newest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025).

    Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor Court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.

    For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink those around her, knowing that one wrong move could cost her everything.

    With a rich tapestry of new historical insights and lyrical language honed over decades of writing, Gregory's return to the Tudors is a new definition of this most fascinating era. As the world becomes more extreme and unpredictable, Jane’s story of survival and ingenuity offers a compelling parallel, serving as both a powerful historical narrative and an echo of the challenges we face. This is a riveting tale of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and love—one that should not be missed by readers this fall.

    Register today for this exciting glimpse into the perilous 16th century royal court!

    Registration is required and a high speed internet connection is recommended. Register for this author talk and check out other online author talks here: https://libraryc.org/crandalllibrary Programs will be recorded and available to view at a later date.

  • October 30, 2025 (1 event)


    October 30, 2025

    Registration required: Saratoga National Historical Park

    What did it take for a six-man crew to fell trees in frigid 18th century Saratoga? How did African (American) women master the arduous task of laundry day at the Schuyler Estate? How did Lewis, one of General Philip Schuyler's coachmen, earn a shoutout from Benjamin Franklin for his skilled maneuvering of rural roads? Join us as we dig deeper into the tools, knowledge, natural objects and skills that local enslaved people mastered while in bondage and piece together what 18th and early 19th century life might have been like for African Americans in Saratoga and Washington counties.

    Dr. Shanleigh Corrallo is a scholar of African American history who has applied her research to positions in academia, government and public policy, and community advocacy. Through her work, Corrallo has developed programs and implemented policies that restore and uplift diverse communities across New York State that have been negatively impacted by social, economic and legal injustice. In her current role as a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, she works with Skidmore College and the New York State Division of Parks and Historic Preservation to unearth and document the lives of individuals enslaved in Saratoga and Washington Counties, New York. In addition to collaborating with the NYS Office of Parks on a portfolio of projects commemorating 400 years of presence and contributions of African Americans in the State, Corrallo has developed an oral history series with local descendants that will be housed at Skidmore College. Outside of the fellowship, Corrallo is working on a book project with the University of Rochester Press on the Black Power Movement in Buffalo and Rochester, New York.

    Dr. Corrallo lives in the beautiful town of Schodack Landing, New York, with her beloved dog, husband, chickens and gardens.

    Support for the Fall Lecture Series is provided by Friends of Saratoga Battlefield. Reservations are required due to limited space. Email us (SARA_Reservations@nps.gov) to reserve your seat!