Category: Events

• Summer @ Russell Sneak Preview

  What has rainbow colors,fuzzy wings,a pig snout,a down dog,lizard eyes,a paint palette,and a Bunsen burner? Summer Reading at Russell Library, of course. This summer, mark your calendars for a myriad of events at Russell Library featuring art, animals, science, music, books, and more. Help us kick off our Summer Reading theme, Color Our World, on…

  Amy S.

  May 5, 2025

  Contests, Events, Giveaways, Kids and Teens

  ColorOurWorld, FurryScalyFriends, Gecko, PaintersPalettes, PettingZoo, SummerReading, SummerReadingTrackers, XensCritters

• Russell Library Celebrates Its History

  & Looks Ahead to the Next Chapter by Ramona Burkey, Director Middletown’s Russell Library was bustling on the morning of Saturday, April 5th, as hundreds of patrons of all ages gathered to commemorate the library’s 149th birthday. With a giant birthday cake, a children’s dance party with costumed character “Bingo” from the hit children’s cartoon…

  Amy S.

  April 21, 2025

  Events, History of Russell Library, Inside Stories, Libraries, Library Services, Middletown, CT

  Bingo, Bluey, BookMobile, ChildrensActivityRoom, FirstFederalSavingsAndLoan, FrancesRussell, Future, HubbardRoom, LocalHistory, MayorBenFlorsheim, MemoryBox, ReadingRoom, RulesOfRussellLibrary, RussellLibraryBoardOfTrustees, SamuelRussell, sesquicentennial

• Tournament of Books 2025 Recap – How “The Women” Won

  The readers have spoken. The Tournament of Books has concluded, and the results are in! Middletown readers have voted Kristin Hannah’s The Women to be the 2025 Tournament of Books Champion! Going into the tournament, many foresaw this outcome–in fact, 65% of all brackets submitted this year predicted The Women to emerge victorious. In a…

  Jack B.

  April 14, 2025

  Book Reviews, Events, Recommendations

  Audiobooks, Ebooks, FourthWing, I’mGladMyMomDied, IronFlame, KillersOfTheFlowerMoon, TheWager, TheWomenByKristinHannah, Tournament, TournamentOfBooks

• Chickens in the Library?!

  Last summer, we had fourteen very special guests in the library: two batches of seven chicken eggs, courtesy of a chicken farm in nearby Wallingford, Connecticut. Of the original 14 eggs, 13 hatched into chicks. The chicks visited with Russell Library patrons for about a week and a half, and then were picked up by…

  Amy S.

  April 7, 2025

  Contests, Events, Inside Stories, Kids and Teens, Libraries, Technology

  Chickens, Chicks, DET, EggHatching, Eggs, HangWithTheChicks, HatchTheChicken, PeepShow, RentTheChicken, WebCam

• New & Fun at the Library

  Spring is a time for re-invention. At Russell Library, we love to keep things fresh and fun — especially in the Youth & Family Learning Department. Like kids and families, we’re always changing. The following are some of the new services and activities available in the kids’ wing and (The Space). The Gaming PC Like…

  Amy S.

  March 17, 2025

  Contests, Events, Giveaways, History of Russell Library, Inside Stories, Kids and Teens, Library Services, Technology

  149thBirthday, ARPA, BallLabyrinth, Bingo, Bluey, BuilcingBlockWall, BuildYourOwnCoaster, ChickCam, Chromebooks, GamingPC, GearFactory, HangWithTheChicks, NameTheChicks, STEM, TheSpace, YMCA