We have a full calendar of events planned at all library locations for this upcoming month, October 2026! Click here for our full calendar, which also includes young adult and children’s programs.

Manhattan Short Film Festival – Two Showings: 10/2 at 1pm and 10/3 at 11am. DeMott Lane Branch.

Join film lovers from around the world for the 29th annual MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival. Audiences in over 500 cities spanning 6 continents unite for one week to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers from around the world. Attendees will view the films before voting for their choice for best film and best actor at the conclusion of the program. Please note that some or all of the films may contain adult content or language not intended for children. Learn more about the festival here.

The library will host four screenings, and each showing is the same. The non-English films are shown with subtitles. The room will open approximately 15 minutes before showtime. There is a ten minute intermission halfway through the films.

Registration is required but walk-ins are welcome as long as there is space. This is an on-site, in-person program. If you have any questions regarding the library’s policies and programming, please call us at 732-873-8700 x 111. The library reserves the right to reschedule programs. 

Register for 10/2 at 1pm | Register for 10/3 at 11am.

Move, Breathe, Meditate @ Franklin Park Branch – Friday, 10/2 at 11am. Franklin Park Branch.

Meditation will be instructor-led and begin with centering and light movement (mainly of the spine), pranayama (a breathing practice), and then a deeper dive into a meditation experience together. Various concepts will be introduced throughout different classes. There’s strong energy meditating in community. Let’s down-regulate our nervous systems together!

Registration is preferred. 

Keeping Up the Beat: Heart Health – Wednesday, 10/7 at 11am. DeMott Lane Branch.

Learn how high cholesterol and blood pressure affect heart disease and how to make heart-healthy lifestyle changes. This includes strategies like regular exercise and a healthy diet to maintain good cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

A presentation from the HealthEASE Health Education Curriculum from NJ Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services. Visit the Somerset County Department of Health website here.

Registration is appreciated but not required to attend!

Community in Crisis Information Table – Monday, 10/12 from 3:30pm to 5pm. DeMott Lane Branch.

Stop by the Community Room for information about Community In Crisis, a local organization whose mission is to “reduce the incidence and consequences of the misuse of substances through education, prevention and holistic support, free of stigma.”

They will be distributing flyers with information about upcoming events and recovery meetings, as well as the following items:

• Narcan
• Fentanyl and xylazine test strips
• First aid kits
• Giveaways including chip clips, chapstick, and pens

The Cranberry Lacemakers of Central New Jersey – Saturday, 10/17 from 10:30am to 4:30pm. DeMott Lane Branch.

Experience the dynamic, centuries-old technique of bobbin lace making.

Join the Cranberry Lacemakers to experience and learn the fun, dynamic centuries-old technique of bobbin lace making. The group is actively seeking new members who would like to learn and preserve this craft. Email Celeste for more information about the group or if you would like to try a pattern.

No registration required, walk-ins welcome!

Open Books, Open Minds: Historical Fiction Book Club – Thursday, 10/22 at 1:45pm. Franklin Park.

Join us for a discussion of Wade in the Water by Nyaneba Nkrumah. A limited number of copies of the book will be available for pick up at the Franklin Park Branch Library beginning September 10. Registration is not required.

The New Yorker Short Story Club – Friday, 10/23 at 11am. Franklin Park.

The New Yorker Short Story Club invites readers to come together for lively, thoughtful conversations about short fiction featured in The New Yorker. 

Open to all, registration is not required.

You can access the story here through Pressreader, or by checking out the magazine from the library. See us at the Franklin Park Branch if you need help getting a copy of the story.

1783 at Rockingham: Black Refugees and the Crisis of Freedom – Saturday, 10/24 at 2pm. DeMott Lane.

The Revolution did not end at Yorktown. In the extraordinary months of 1783, the Confederation Congress met at Nassau Hall in Princeton, the definitive Treaty of Paris was signed, and George Washington kept his final wartime headquarters at Rockingham, the Berrien farm overlooking the Millstone River Valley in Franklin Township. That same treaty carried Article VII, which barred the departing British from “carrying away any Negroes or other Property,” and forced the new nation to confront whether Black men, women, and children were persons entitled to liberty or property subject to return. Tens of thousands had already claimed their own freedom by crossing into British lines during the war, and Britain refused to return them.

Historian Timothy Messer-Kruse argues that the constitutional crisis that followed became one of the forces that led the founders to abandon the Articles of Confederation and draft a stronger federal Constitution. The conversation begun in the autumn of 1783 is one America has never finished having.

Register here.

For any questions about upcoming library events, please call the reference desk at 732-873-8700 opt. 3 or leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading,
George, FTPL