America’s 250th

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

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, February 12 at 4:30 pm. Kid Readers Unite Book Discussion of Billions To Burn by Taylor Banks (for children in grades 4-6). Details and sign up 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

Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 2:00 pm: Fun With Fashion: A Paper Doll Workshop (in-person, for children). Come to the Children’s Art Studio and flex your fashion muscle. Dress up your favorite character or imagine a whole new one with a dream wardrobe! Play with the Art Studio’s multitude of materials! Patterns based on popular characters will be provided, as will materials about fashion and designing! Grades 2 and up welcome! Sign up 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 10, 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

Thursday, March 19, 2026, 6:30 pm. The Three Sisters Garden (in-person). Learn the science behind the “Three Sisters” gardening method and the important role nitrogen plays in a successful crop. Register here

Saturday, March 21 at 11:00 am. Elizabeth ‘MumBet’ Freeman: One Minute a Free Woman (in-person, dramatic event). Join us to hear the story of for a performance with the Hidden Women Stage Company, followed by a hands on activity. Tammy Denease, historical reenactor, from the Hidden Women Stage Company brings the story of bravery and determination to life! After the performance there will be a hands on activity of making a medicine pouch. This program is for kids in Grades K – 6, with their adult. 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 19^th-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

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.

Saturday, April 25 at 11:00 am. Founding Mothers Storyteller. (for children, in-person). Storyteller Monica Peterson presents true stories of local women who helped found this country. She uses story, costume, props, and photographs to transport kids and their adults back in time! Register here

This program is best for school age kids.

Saturday, April 25 at 2:00 pm. “Remember Liss: A New American Founding Figure” (in-person) Join historian and author Claire Bellerjeau for a one-hour program as she discusses the discovery of a new founding figure named Elizabeth, or Liss. Liss was enslaved by the Townsend family of Oyster Bay, New York, whose most famous member was Robert Townsend aka “Culper, Jr.”, George Washington’s lead spy in Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. Register here

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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.

Founding Mothers: Women of the American Revolution (In-person) was held on 12/10/25.

Revolutionary War Roundtable was held on Thursday, January 8, 2026. This group will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month throughout 2026. Learn more here.

Being Thomas Jefferson: Virtual Author Event with Andrew Burstein. (virtual) was held on 1/15/2026.

Environmental History: From Theodore Roosevelt to Modern Environmental Law with Professor Joseph MacDougald (in-person, offsite) was held on 1/29/26 at the Simsbury Library.

Reed Hearts Workshops (in-person) were held on 2/4/26.