The Avon Library is working in conjunction with Avon’s 250th Coordinating Committee to plan events and programs to celebrate this anniversary.
(Avon resident Shane Leighton created Avon’s 250th logo) For a complete list of town-wide events, click here
For a reading list, click this link: America’s 250th AFPL Reading Guide
Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 2pm: Revolutionary War Roundtable. This group will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month throughout 2026. Learn more here.
Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 2:00 pm. Being Thomas Jefferson: Virtual Author Event with Andrew Burstein. Join us for a moderated conversation with author Andrew Burstein, via Zoom, to celebrate the release of Being Thomas Jefferson. This new book is the deepest dive yet into the heart and soul, secret affairs, unexplored alliances, and bitter feuds of a generally worshipped, intermittently reviled American icon. Register here
Avon Then & Now: Art Contest. The contest begins on January 21, 2026, and all art must be submitted by March 30, 2026. Submissions will be displayed at the Avon Library in May 2026. Avon Then & Now is a community art challenge and part of Avon’s America 250 celebration of the semi-quincentennial anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Residents are tasked with creating their own original art piece based on a topic from the Farmington Valley’s rich history. There are five categories of submission, with prizes! Students in grades K-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-12, and adults are all encouraged to enter. Learn more here
Thursday, Janaury 29, 2026, at 6:30 pm. Environmental History: From Theodore Roosevelt to Modern Environmental Law with Professor Joseph MacDougald (in-person, offsite). Join us as we host Joseph MacDougal, Professor-in-Residence and Executive Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Law at UCONN Law to discuss the evolution of environmental law as it pertains to US history from Theodore Roosevelt to today. Event will be held at the Simsbury Library; regsiter with them directly by clicking here.
Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 6:30 pm. Civil Rights and Housing with Nadiyah Humber (in-person). More details soon. Learn about this series here
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 2:00 pm. “Ultima Ratio Regum:” Henry Knox and the Noble Train (in-person). Summer 1775: The new leader of the continental army, George Washington, is faced with a quandary- the British are pinned inside Boston, but without artillery, the colonials were powerless to eject them from the city. Henry Knox, Boston bookseller and native Southie, undertakes an amazing winter trek to Lake George to retrieve 60 tons of artillery pieces and bring them to Boston. This talk will discuss the formation of the continental army and the siege of Boston, but will center on Knox and this amazing march, legendary in US history. Register here
Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 2:00 pm. “Pot Herbs, Sallads and Roots”: Kitchen Gardens in Early America (in-person) This is a program defining the role played by kitchen gardens in the lives of New Englanders 1790 to 1850. Using documentation from Samuel Deane’s book, The New England Farmer (Worcester, MA: Isaiah Thomas, 1790), with additional 19th-century publications and landscape illustrations, and the re-created gardens at Old Sturbridge Village as examples, Christie will discuss both typical and more progressive garden styles and cultural practices, plant varieties, and preservation techniques. Register here
Tuesday, March 20, 2026, 6:00 pm. Historical Pottery Demonstration with Steinhagen Pottery (in-person). Erich Steinhagen of Griswold, CT, has been a potter for more than 50 years, since his high school apprenticeship. For the past three decades, he and his wife Janice have been making pottery informed by the redware pottery of the 18th century. The couple will demonstrate forming pots on the potter’s wheel and decorating the resulting pots with the traditional sgraffito (scratching) technique widely used by German and English potters of the colonial period. Register here
Monday, March 30, 2026, at 6:00 pm. The History of Chocolate: 18th c. Chocolate-making Demonstration (in-person). Robert Lecce of the Pewter Pot Chocolate Shop will offer an engaging demonstration where we’ll unveil the traditional methods used to transform the humble cacao bean into a rich, indulgent treat. Using authentic tools and techniques of the era, you’ll see the entire process unfold- from roasting and grinding the beans to the meticulous refinement of this treasured delicacy. With samples to try and goods to buy, you can experience firsthand how chocolate once delighted the palates of our ancestors. Register here.
Completed 2025 events:
From Trenton to Yorktown: Virtual Author Event with John R. Maass; virtual event was held on 2/19/25
Shots Heard Around the World: Virtual Author Event with John Ferling; virtual event was held on 4/9/25.
Angelica: Author Event with Molly Beer (in-person); held on 7/14/25
The American Revolution is Coming! Three part history lecture series with Dr. Matthew Warshauer, CCSU. These lectures included: The British Invasion!! // Reading the Connecticut Courant: A Window into Revolution //The Declaration of Independence: A Minute Reading into Meaning, Memory, and Fantastical Misunderstanding! These programs were held on Thursday evenings in July.
The American Revolution: Artifacts & Stories from Across Connecticut, was on display in the Art Gallery from 7/1/2025-7/31/2025.
War at Home: The Battle of Ridgefield (In-Person Event). History lecture by educators from Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center was held on 8/12/2025.
“Forming a New Government in the Midst of War: The Articles of Confederation” was held on 9/23/25
“The Critical Period: From Articles to Constitution” was held on 10/1/25.
“The New Nation: Washington Takes the Reigns…and Gets a Headache!” was held on 10/6/25.
Tuesday, October 7 at 7:00 pm. War Without Mercy: Author Event with Mark Edward Lender. (Virtual) was held on 10/7/25.
History display case exhibit at the library, We Are The Sons of Freedom, was presented from March–November 2025.
Ken Burns: The American Revolution Discussion Group met twice in November, 2025
At the Canton Library: To Form a More Perfect Union: American Law was Created in Canton, CT was held on 11/20/25 . Learn about this series here
The Boston Tea Party (virtual event) was held on 12/9/25.
Tuesday, December 10 at 7:00 pm. Founding Mothers: Women of the American Revolution (In-person) was held on 12/10/25.